It's all or nothing
by FlorLola
Summary: When her past comes hunting her down, Haruka must find a way to protect her family and the ones she loves, while facing the strong feelings growing inside her for a certain aqua girl who's crushing at her place. Will she open herself up to her? AU.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I'm broke, and pathetic. And I don't own a thing! Sailor Moon characters belong to the one and only Naoko Takeuchi, I'm just borrowing some...

Ok, this story is completely different from what I've been writing so far. I'm exploring new dimensions here... sort of... It has a somewhat darker tone to it, but I hope you like it anyways!

I'm still not done with my other story, "And then she came along", but I started writing this story first. So, I'm posting the first chap, because I can and because I want to! Don't worry, I'm not going to make you wait too long for the other story to come to an end (I have to write a few more chaps, and then just update it!). BUT you will have to wait longer for this one to be updated! I have a a test coming up, and two dead lines for some projects, and I'm so nowhere near done with those! (I'm sooooo dead!)

The reason I'm posting this, is because I want to see how you like the prologue. And because the ideas for the stories keep jumping in my head simultaneously... weird, I know...

As usual, this is a Haruka/Michiru story, so if you're a homophobic in any kind of way, don't read! The rating is because of some language and violence, although there will be some 'action' between the two little love birds. So, you know the deal, if you don't like girl-on-girl sex scenes, then you should probably read another kind of FF! You've been warned!

Ok, on with the story! Hope you like it! Let me know what you think!

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**Prologue**

_A young teenage girl, with long blonde hair that reached her mid back and flew with the wind, was slowly walking down the street. Her green eyes were red and puffy, and she was hugging herself over her wide black sweater. Her tight, thin jeans doing nothing for her long legs against the cold wind._

_It was late, and the sun was already setting on the horizon. She reached her house and opened the door, her head down and her steps slow. What was she going to do now? How was she going to tell the others? It was a nightmare!_

"_Where the hell were you, little whore?" a male voice got her attention._

_She looked up, green eyes going wide open with sudden fear. He was sitting on his favorite couch, a beer in one hand, flicking his cigarette in the other. And the way he was looking at her, along with what he had just said, made her realized he already knew._

"_Daddy... I... I can explain..." she started._

_He got up, and in one fast motion, he slapped her hard across the face, sending her down to the floor, and making her cheek bleed upon the impact against his golden ring._

"_Explain what?" he asked, yelling down at her "That you're a slut? A disgrace?"_

"_Daddy, please..." she cried, holding her burning cheek with a trembling hand._

"_Shut up! You're nothing but a whore!" he yelled, kicking her hard on the stomach._

_She screamed out in pain, her vision going white, and he bent down and made her stand up, grabbing her by her hair "I knew I should have get rid of you the moment you were born!" he yelled, making her walk with him up the stairs, pulling her hair in a painful way._

"_Dad, no!" she was screaming in pain, in fear "Please, I'm sorry!" she could barely breath._

"_I told you to shut up!" he slapped her again, crushing her against the wall on the hallway "Now get inside your room!" he ordered "I'm going to the bar, and when I come back, I'll decide what to do with you!"_

_And with that, he closed and locked the door, leaving a crying girl inside._

"_Dad!" she yelled, hitting the door with her hands "Please! Open up!" she was crying so hard she could barely breath now. And she let out a scream of pain, as her stomach began to cramp, and panic took her over. "Please... someone... someone help me" she begged, crying brokenly._

She jerked up on the bed, sweating, her heartbeat uncontrolled. She looked around, taking deep breaths, a hand going to her stomach, protecting herself, in a reflex move. But then she realized it had been a dream.

She closed her eyes, both hands going to cover her face, letting herself fall back on the bed. _It's over_, she told herself, a shaky hand going throw her short blonde hair_, it's been over for years! Get over it, damn it!_

But she couldn't. The dreams kept on coming to her, every night, and she couldn't run away from them.

During the day, she was a content, relax, happy person. But the nights were pure torture. Even after all these years, she still slept with her door wide open, so she could hear and see everything, not letting anything get to her by surprise. Making sure nothing would jump up on her, ever again.

What was wrong with her? Why couldn't she move on? She had her own life now, with her friends, and her family.

She smiled at that, opening her eyes again. Her very own family. And no one could take that away from her. No dreams could ever reached and destroy that.

The sound of childish laughter reached her ears, and she smiled again, getting out of the bed and grabbing some clothes to start her day.

…

Right to the left of the road, a red small car was half parked, half stopped there. Smoke was coming from it, and a girl was staring at it with a frown upon her pretty face.

She had blonde, long hair, reaching her waist and held up in a low ponytail. Her big, baby blue eyes covered by her big sunglasses, were studying the car, hands on her hips, as if trying to decipher what to do to get it fix.

She was wearing a tight jean shorts, and a red tank top hugging her perfect figure. But the heat of the morning, plus the heat coming from the car, was slowly but steadily melting her down.

"Would you stop that?" a female voice told her, getting her attention "You're not going to fix it by just looking at it"

She looked up at the owner of the voice. She was leading on the car. Her long, curly aquamarine haired tided up on a messy bun, her deep blue eyes covered by her sunglasses. Hands behind her head, she was looking back at the blonde girl with a tired smile. Her light blue sweatshirt had some grease spot over it, and her black tight shorts were currently catching all the sun's heat and making her incredibly hot.

"My ass is on fire" she commented, making the other girl rolled her eyes at her "How long did they say, again?"

"Twenty minutes. It's been fifteen already, so..."

As the blonde girl said that, a big, yellow truck stopped next to them, and a young, good looking man got off, making his way towards the girls. The girls checked him out, both of them covered by their sunglasses. He was a tall man, with broad shoulders and a perfect body, with short brown hair, and deep gray eyes.

"Good morning ladies" he greeted "I believe you called for a car problem. Hi, Keiichi Kawabe, at your service"

"Yes, thank you sir. I'm Minako Aino, and this is my friend, Michiru Kaioh" the blonde introduced them "Our car just... died"

Keiichi smiled, and went to take a look at the car "Yeah, I say it's very much dead, alright" he said after a couple of minutes "I'll have to take it to my shop, down town. I can give you ladies a ride there if you want"

"I'm not staying here" Michiru, the aquamarine haired girl exclaimed, looking at her friend "Lets go!"

"Yeah, sure. I'm starving, anyway" Minako said, smiling at Keiichi.

…

A tall, young man with shoulder length silvery hair was dozing off, sitting on his parked car right outside the Station. It was early in the morning, and everything was quiet. Meaning, he was bored out of his mind.

But the sudden sound of the door opening and then closing got his attention, and he opened his teal eyes and turned his head to look at his partner, who in turn threw a file to his lap.

"There's a lead on one of the convicts that escaped prison last week" his partner said "Someone saw him at a bar downtown. We gotta go and check it out"

He simply nodded his head, and started the car. They reached the bar in no time, and went directly to the owner, who was carrying beer boxes inside the place. He nodded his head to the coming men, and when they both showed him their badges, he quickly guided them inside, into his back door office.

"I'm officer Hoshi, this is my partner, officer Kori" the tall, long brown haired man introduced them "You called the Station about one of the runaway convicts?" he asked, as his partner gave the bar owner the file with the photographs of all the convicts that had escaped the week before.

"Yes, yes" the man said, looking at the pictures "He said something about going to the mountains?" he said, scrubbing his bald head with one hand "Looking for his high school sweetheart, he said. I remember that, because that big race was on, and he pointed at the winner saying that was his woman"

"A car racer?" officer Kori asked, frowning.

"Yes, yes, he said that" the man answered, and then he pointed at a picture "This is him. This is the man that I saw" he announced, completely sure of himself.

Officer Kori frowned again, looking uncomfortable all of a sudden. They made some more questions, getting some details and descriptions, but soon the officers walked out of the bar, and Hoshi turned to his partner.

"What is it?" he asked "You know something, don't you?"

"This man" Kori said, the picture still in his hand "I went to school with him"

"So you know who this woman is?" officer Hoshi asked "He's going after her..."

"You don't understand" Kori interrupted him "She disappeared from the face of the earth..."

"Apparently not" Hoshi corrected him "The man said they were looking the race, and that she was the one who won"

"That can't be..." Kori mumbled, frowning for a moment, but then his face went completely white "What was her name?"

"Tenoh, I think"

"Tenoh?" he asked, and shook his head "No, her _name_" he insisted "Her first name, what was it?"

Hoshi frowned, deep in thought for a moment "Tenoh... Haruka!" he finally exclaimed "Her name's Haruka Tenoh, why?"

"Oh my God..." Kori breathed, before running off to the newspaper post at the corner, and without really saying anything to the old man standing there, he grabbed a sport magazine, looking throw the pages.

"What are you doing?" Hoshi asked "What are you looking for?"

"Oh my God..." Kori said again, now looking at a picture "Oh my God! It's her!"

Hoshi looked at the picture his partner was pointing at on the magazine. There was a tall, thin, blonde person –Hoshi couldn't really tell if it was male or female-, dressed on a dirty white suit, holding a big trophy, and smiling up at the cameras. The person looked somewhat familiar to him, and he frowned, deep in thought.

"This is Asuke' sweetheart?" Hoshi asked. "Looks like a man to me..."

"I have to find her!" Kori exclaimed, completely ignoring his partner, and running back to his car "God, it's her, it's her!" he mumbled. _Tenoh? Oh, Haruka..._ he thought to himself.


	2. Chapter 1

Ok, here's chap number one. I'm giving you a little warning. Some chaps have more dialogues than others, and there will be quite the number of chapters before any action taking place. Mainly, because I need to put every single character in place, introducing them and what role each is playing here. In the meantime, you get to know them!

Anyway! Hope you like it!!!!!

Enjoy! As usual, R&R!

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**1**

Half an hour later, both girls were sitting on the booths by he counter, at a dinner in town. They were having some coffee and some nice french toast as a late breakfast, and just killing time until they could go back to the car shop to know what exactly was wrong with their car.

"This seems like a nice town" Minako commented, while looking at a tourist leaflet she had in her hands "It says here they have a river near by, and it's suppose to be a really nice place, with all the mountains around and all. Maybe we could stay a couple of days and check it out"

"Sure, whatever" Michiru answered her, not really paying attention "This was a bad idea..."

"Oh, come on!" Minako exclaimed "It's just a small car problem! We've been driving around for over a month now, and it's been great! Right?" she saw her friend nodding her head "We're having fun, knowing new places, enjoying our summer, and we are far, far away from the city and that stupid dick head!"

"I know, I know... I still think you didn't have to give up your apartment just because..."

"Look, he was an ass to you, and so he was an ass to me too, ok?" Minako interrupted her "Besides, I rather spend my time with you on some crazy road trip, than with him and his buddies crushing at all hours and drinking beer in front of the Play Station and watching porn!"

A tall man took a sit two booths away from the aquamarine haired beauty, elbows resting on the counter and looking right at the girls. He had a nice shaved beard, a black baseball hat on his head, and what must be a seductive smile on his face.

"Hi, there, ladies" he said.

Minako looked at Michiru, and both girls rolled their eyes, ignoring him. The guy kept on talking to them, inviting them to join him on some trip or the other, but they were just ignoring him as best as they could.

"We can have so much fun together" he was saying "Just the three of us"

A tall, short blonde haired man with deep coffee eyes, cleaning a glass with is apron, approached the guy from behind the counter "Hey, don't bother my costumers" he said, with a warning glare on his handsome face.

"Chill, dude, I'm just talking to them" the guy said "Right, girls? We're just talking"

"I think he's drunk" Michiru whispered on her friend's ear.

Minako just nodded her head, not looking at the guy at all.

The sound of the door bells announced the arrival of a new costumer, and the young man behind the counter smiled up. He went to grab the coffee pot, and put a plastic cup on the counter.

"Your usual, coming right up" he said to the new costumer.

Both girls turned around in time to see a tall blonde woman just standing by the door, who by all means seemed to be enjoying the cooled air inside the dinner.

In fact, she was trying not to melt down. The small walk between her parked car right across the street and into the dinner –a walk that couldn't be longer than twenty steps- and the heated sun, had made her incredibly hot. So, yes, she was enjoying the magic of modern inventions and air conditioner.

She took her sunglasses off, making them rest on the top of her head, and taking her bangs out of her eyes in the process. Her green eyes smiling at the young man behind the counter. She had short blonde hair, and the white sweatshirt she was wearing hugged her curves perfectly. Her cargo pants, hanging low on her hips, gave her a confident, strong appearance, and she moved as if she owned the place.

"Thanks, Toki" the tall blonde woman said, in a deep, husky voice that somehow complemented her perfectly.

She rested her elbows on the counter, right next to the aquamarine haired girl, long fingers playing with the sugar as she patiently waited for her coffee.

"Hello, there, baby girl" a male voice said next to the blonde's ear, a hand now resting on her hips "Wanna go for a ride with me, sugar babe?"

The blonde didn't answered. Instead, she looked up at the blonde man behind the counter, her own blonde eyebrow going up. But the man just gave her an amused smiled and shook his head. So, she turned around, elbows still resting on the counter, and the hand still resting on her hips. She looked down at said hand, and then up at its owner.

"You better keep your hands to yourself, here" she simply said.

"Oh, come on, sugar" insisted the guy with the baseball hat, his hand caressing the skin right under the edge of the blonde's sweatshirt. His head pointing outside, to a black sport car parked there.

"I'm warning you" the blonde said again, looking completely relaxed.

"I know how chicks go all crazy with my ride" he said, now getting closer to her, showing his best seductive smile. But before he could get any closer, the blonde grabbed his hand with one of hers, and twisted it back, crushing his fingers in the process.

"Not this one" she said, as the guy let out a scream of pain.

The blonde let his hand go before she could actually break any bones. She then took her plastic coffee cup, put her sunglasses back on, and started making her way out.

"Good seeing you, Toki" she called out, not turning around but waving her hand.

"My pleasure!" he exclaimed, smiling, as the blonde woman got out of the place and across the street, towards her own car.

"Are you gonna let her treat me like that?" the guy asked him, nursing his hand.

He shook his shoulders "You started it. And she did warn you" the blonde man answered "So, yeah, I think I'll do just that"

The guy murmured something under his breath, and took off, leaving behind an amused blonde man behind the counter, two surprised girls, and a bunch of unsurprised, untouched costumers. They were all used to the blonde's strength, and they all knew better than to mess with her.

And they all respected her, so no one really cared about an outsider guy anyway.

Minako turned to her friend "Oh my God!" she exclaimed, smiling "That girl just became my number one hero!" she said, pointing with her finger at the general direction of the dinner's entry door. "Did you see that move?"

The blonde man behind the counter smiled at her "That's Haruka Tenoh for you" he said, in a proud manner.

Michiru looked up at him, frowning "Tenoh? Like that car racer?" she asked "Is she related to him or something?"

The men laughed at her "Him?" he asked, still laughing "Honey, there's no _him_. That _is_ the car racer. The one and only!" he exclaimed.

Michiru's eyes went wide open, her jaw almost hitting the counter. And her friend laughed at her, hard.

"Holly crap, Michiru!" she exclaimed "You have the hots for a girl!"

"I do not!" she defended herself, blushing. _Oh my God_, she said to herself, _I'm obsessed with a woman!_

"She's been crazy about that Tenoh racer for three months now" Minako said to the young man behind the counter "Like a teenager with a crush!"

"Shut up!" Michiru exclaimed, blushing even more. _But I'm not... like that..._

"Hey, I don't blame you!" the man exclaimed, smiling at the blushing aquamarine haired girl "She's hot stuff!" he exclaimed "And, who knows? Maybe you'll be luckier than our fellow here" he added, smiling.


	3. Chapter 2

**2**

"You're kidding!" Minako exclaimed, looking devastated.

"No, I'm really sorry" Keiichi said, and actually meant it "But you need an entire make over in order to get this baby back running" he said "And it's an expensive car, so I'll have to order everything and they would take at least a week to get here, and maybe another week for me to put everything in place"

"Great! Just... great!" Michiru exclaimed, walking around the car shop in circles. Now they were definitively stuck in that town!

"I'm sure you can find some nice room at the Inn to stay" the young man said "And enjoy our town for a while..."

"Yes, we'll do just that" Minako said, grabbing her friend by the arm "We'll call you as soon as we find a place to stay, so you can keep us updated"

She pushed Michiru out of the shop, but the aquamarine haired girl jerked away, and went to the red, dead car. She opened the back seat door, and took out a case, along with a small hand bag. And Minako just raised an eyebrow at her.

"What?" Michiru asked "I'm not leaving my violin here, ok? It's unique, and expensive!" she exclaimed, but then she added "And I need clothes!"

"Ok, ok, you're right" she agreed, now grabbing her own hand bag and throwing some clothes in it "We'll come back for the rest later, once we find a place, ok?" she said to Keiichi.

"Of course, no problem"

They walked out of the shop and into the heated streets. Not really knowing where to go, they made it to the dinner again, thinking the nice blonde young man could give them some directions.

So they entered the crowd place, and spot the young man at his usual place, behind the counter.

He looked up at them and smiled "Hi girls!" he greeted "Good to see you around here so soon!"

"Hi" Minako said "We're actually here to ask for some directions" she started to explain.

"The festival starts in two days" he said "You're early"

Minako blinked "Festival? No, we're not here for the festival" she frowned "What festival?"

The young man laughed warmly at her "It's an old tradition here, to celebrate the Town's foundation" he explain "For an entire week we have parades and parties at the park. And then the last day we all go up the valley, to the vineyard, and spend the day there. Tourists always like the whole making wine tradition. You know, dancing around grapes to make the wine?" the girls nodded, now looking excited "And then we all go to the river, and just enjoy ourselves, with some good old music and food"

"That sounds like so much fun!" Michiru exclaimed, smiling.

"We need to find a place to stay first, remember?" Minako said, pointing a finger at her.

"Oh, I see" the man said, still smiling "You need to walk two blocks, that way" he said, pointing to the left "And then you'll find the Inn. It's a nice place, and it's not that expensive, so..."

"Thanks a lot!" Minako exclaimed, before dragging her friend out of the dinner again, and making their way to the Inn the nice young man had pointed out for them.

They reached it in no time, but a big sign made them want to cry. 'No vacancy', in bold red letters, practically laughing at them.

"Now what?" Michiru exclaimed, hands up in the air. She was getting tired, and it was barely noon! This was going to be a long, long day...

"Ouch!" her friend's voice got her attention, and she turned in time to see her almost falling down to the floor, only to be grabbed by non other than Keiichi Kawabe.

"I'm so sorry, are you alright?" he asked her.

"No!" the blonde exclaimed, pointing at the sign hanging from the Inn entry door "We have no place to stay!" she exclaimed again "We're gonna be sleeping out at the woods for a week! So no, I'm not alright! There's mosquitoes out there, you know? And all kinds of green, big, ugly insects!"

"She's terrified of mosquitoes" Michiru explained to a surprised Keiichi "She thinks they're all after her"

"They are!" Minako exclaimed "They always find me, no matter where I am!"

Keiichi cleared his throat, trying not no laughed at the girl's melodramatic act, and looked at them "Well, I know a place" he started "I can't promise you anything, but maybe they'll let you stay. I can give you a ride if you want"

Michiru and Minako exchanged glances, not really sure about the proposal.

"Look, I know you don't know me at all" he started to say "And me giving you a ride to somewhere you don't know seems suspicious. But I'm harmless, I swear!"

Minako let out a sigh "What do we have to lose, here?" she asked, looking at her friend.

The other girl shook her shoulders. _Our lives?_, she thought to herself. But she didn't say anything, so with nothing more than that, both girls followed Keiichi back to the car shop and into his blue car, and they made their way towards their -hopefully safe- new destination.

"It's an old house up in the mountains" he explained to them, eyes on the road "It needs a lot of work, but they want to make it a hotel. It's not open yet, but it's already crowdy up there" he smiled.

"What do you mean?" Minako asked.

"A friend of mine lives there. Actually, she owns the place" he answered "And there's also this really nice girl, she's eighteen but she's cool. And then there's these two cute little girls..."

A car hitting the horn right behind him interrupted him, and he looked up just in time to see a fast red car passing him, and he hit his horn back, just to annoyed the driver. And he laughed when the other car's driver gave him the finger.

Michiru frowned at the exchange, and looked at Keiichi "Who was that?" she asked.

"That's the friend I was telling you about, Haruka Tenoh" he said, still laughing "She's one crazy driver. But she's cool, don't worry"

Minako hit her friend with her elbow, smiling at her. Michiru just rolled her eyes, and mumbled something under her breath.

"It's that Tenoh racer!" the blonde whispered to her, all excited.

"Shut up" Michiru said, crossing her arms over her chest, and looking out the window.


	4. Chapter 3

**3**

A tall blonde woman was just about to get into her car, carrying two paint cans in her hands, when a voice called out to her.

"You ready to go?" a tall, brunette girl asked. Her green eyes shinning with the mid sun light, a hand covering her face, protecting herself from the heated sunlight "Or do I have to go there by myself, again?"

The blonde smiled warmly at her, unlocking the car doors, and still looking at the brunette young girl "Sure thing, hop in" she said, nodding her head towards the passenger door, and putting the paint cans on the back seat.

The girl smiled happily, and did as she was told, taking the passenger seat to herself and closing the car's door. She then looked at the blonde behind the wheel, smiling.

"So, I was thinking" the brunette started to say "We should really get those blankets now, instead of waiting for the rooms to be ready. It's cheaper now, since it's summer and all, and I bet we can find..."

The blonde laughed, interrupting her "You just want to see how it all looks like" she said, her eyes on the road.

"Well, don't you?" the other asked, excited "It's going to be so great!"

"We're here" the blonde said, nodding her head.

The brunette frowned, and looked around "Wow, you really _are_ fast!" she exclaimed, her eyes looking at the Supermarket entry door.

Again, the blonde laughed at her "I thought you knew that already" she said "I'm offended!"

The girl looked at her, and then she threw herself at the tall blonde, hugging her.

"Oh, don't be!" she said "You know you're my one and only, all time favorite, incredibly fast Haruka!"

The blonde rolled her eyes "And how many Harukas do you know, exactly?"

"Just one" she answered, before getting out of the car, walking all excited towards the entry door "But you're still my favorite!" she added, almost yelling, and walking backwards, looking at the blonde as she got out of the car herself.

They got inside, and grabbed a cart, making their way along the isles, as the brunette girl started filling it fast with all kinds of food and cereals, and milk and eggs, flavor, fresh meat, some candy, drinks.

The blonde let her be. When it came to food, she completely trusted the teenage brunette girl. So she just pushed the chart, now completely filled, and they both made their way to the long waiting line to pay for their stuff.

"I'm feeling international today" the brunette said, getting the blonde's attention again "Maybe mexican... what do you think?"

"Sounds nice" the blonde answered, nodding her head "Just make sure you don't make anything too spicy, you know the girls don't like it"

"Oh, I know, I know" the other said, waving her hand "Just trust me, it'd be great!"

"You know what, Makoto? For someone who doesn't eat that much" the blonde said "you sure are a complete food freak"

Makoto laughed "You mean, unlike you?" she asked, still smiling "And I do eat, I just eat to live, instead of the other way around"

"Hey!" the blonde exclaimed "I run every morning just to burn down all those pounds you put into my system everyday!" she defended herself "And because I train, I need the extra calories. So, you see? It's an endless cycle"

When they finally made it to the register, Haruka took out her wallet from her back pocket and paid for everything. Makoto already working with the bags, carrying them outside the market and making her way to the car.

They put the bags on the back trunk, and got back inside, making their way out town and up the mountains. They had moved up there a little over a month ago. It was easier if they just lived there, instead of coming and going all the time. And the air was clearer, and the sound of nature all around was perfect.

They came up to another car, a blue one Haruka recognized immediately, and she smiled. She pushed the gas a little further, hitting her car's horn to the car but making herself to a side at the same time. The other car responded, hitting it's horn too, and she just laughed, as she passed it over, rolling her window down and giving the other car's driver the finger.

"You're mean" Makoto scolded her.

The blonde laughed "Oh, come on!" she exclaimed "He needs to grow some balls and drive like a man!"

They reached the big, old house soon after that. Sooner than expected, considering the blonde was a really fast driver. So they got out, and started grabbing their bags from the trunk.

"I see you made it to the supermarket" a female voice reached their ears, and they both turned around to see a beautiful tall woman, with long, dark green hair, making her way towards them. Her magenta eyes shinning with the sunlight, a big smile on her face "And here I thought you were going to starve tonight"

"Woman of little faith" Haruka said to her, giving her bags to the dark green haired woman.

When the blonde came closer to the house, the sound of a piano being softly played made her smile. A few wrong notes here and there, but it still sounded good. She was about to get inside, when the blue car parked right next to hers, making her turned around, and smile at the driver.

"I had a feeling you were coming up here" she said, walking to the tall young man.

"Probably because there's nothing else up here?" he joked, smiling at her and shaking her hand. Then he smiled warmly to the dark green haired woman, who was taking a new set of bags to take inside the house "Good afternoon, Setsuna" he greeted "Makoto" he said, nodding his head to the brunette girl.

"Hi, Keiichi" the dark green haired woman, Setsuna, greeted back, before going inside the house with some of the supermarket bags.

"So, what brings you all the way up here?" Haruka asked, the tall brunette teenage girl standing right next to her.

He looked at them with a nervous smile on his handsome face "Well, see, I have a favor to ask you" he said, pointing to his car.

And then Haruka noticed the two girls sitting on the back of the blue car, looking at her and studying their surroundings. She looked back at Keiichi, not really following what he was trying to say.

"Their car broke down, completely dead" he explained "And the Inn down town is full with the whole festival thing and all, so..."

"Oh, our first guests!" Makoto exclaimed, interrupting him and clapping her hands.

"We're not open yet, Keiichi" Haruka said, giving the teenage girl a side glance "You know that"

"Come on, Haruka, they don't have a place to stay" Keiichi insisted "And maybe they can help you out with the whole remodeling thing"

Haruka arched an eyebrow, looking at the girls that were now standing by Keiichi's car. They looked young. Maybe somewhere around nineteen or twenty years old. And they looked like rich, spoiled girls, with their expensive looking clothes and their perfect manicured nails.

She recognized one of them immediately, knowing full well that one wouldn't be much of a help around the house. And she was willing to bet those two girls hadn't worked a day in their lives. Not real, hard work.

The aquamarine haired girl, the one Haruka had recognized, came a little closer, holding some kind of case to her chest, and looking around, an amazed expression on her pretty face.

"Wow, this place is amazing" she said, in a soft whisper.

The other girl, with long blonde hair, walked up to Haruka and looked at her with a pleading expression on her face.

"Miss Tenoh, right?" she asked, and the tall blonde nodded "I know your hotel's not open yet, but we would really appreciate it if you let us stay. Just for a couple of days, and we could pay you!" she explain in one long breath.

"Is that a violin you have there?" Makoto asked to the aquamarine haired girl, getting Haruka's attention in the process.

The girl blinked, surprised, looking down at her case "Um... yeah" she answered "I... I play the violin... but if it bothers you at all, I promise I won't..."

"Can you teach?" Makoto interrupted her, smiling "I mean, would you like to teach a ten year old how to play?"

"Um, sure!" she answered, smiling back "No problem"

Makoto turned to look at Haruka, a happy smile on her face. And the blonde rolled her green eyes.

"Ok, fine!" she exclaimed, finally "They can stay!"


	5. Chapter 4

**4**

As soon as Keiichi's car disappeared on the road, Haruka guided the two girls inside the big old house. Makoto right behind her, smiling all the way.

The sound of the piano stronger now, Michiru looked around, spotting a little girl sitting right in front of a big, black piano. Her little hands softly touching the black and white keys. She had soft blonde hair, held in two low pigtails, and was wearing a nice white summer dress. She couldn't be older than six, maybe seven years old, and she looked completely concentrated on her music.

"Oh, how cute!" Michiru exclaimed, smiling. She turned around to Haruka "She's good" she said, smiling at the tall blonde woman, who in return nodded her head, a smile on her face.

The little girl missed a note, and stopped playing, letting out a frustrated, childish sigh, and looking up in time to see the two new girls looking at her. She frowned for a moment, but then a big smile came to her face when she saw the tall blonde woman right behind them.

"You're back!" the girl exclaimed, jumping off the chair and running to the tall blonde woman, who quickly bent down to pick the little girl up.

"Hi, princess" she said, kissing her cheek "That sounded really good, I'm proud!"

The girl frowned again "No, it didn't. I keep missing notes..." she said, pouting cutely.

"Don't worry, you'll get it soon" Haruka assured her, putting her down on the floor again "Now, I have to go show this ladies their room, so don't go make any trouble!"

The girl looked up at her, her little hands behind her back, and smiled innocently at the tall blonde. Haruka just smiled sweetly at her, and messed her hair a little with one hand before turning back to the still standing girls.

"Now, if you would please follow me" she said, making her way to the grand stairs "We're still remodeling the house, and most the rooms still smell of paint, and don't really have any furniture" she explained to the girls following her, while walking down a hallway on the first floor that indeed smelled like fresh paint "But we finished one room, just to see how it all would look like, so..."

And with that, she opened a door at the very end of the long hallway, and the girls walked in.

The room was rather big, with white walls and a beautiful, new green carpet. A big window to the left, and the most beautiful view of the mountains around. A painting hanging from a wall, a big wardrobe on the other. And then a closed door, that Haruka pointed out as the in suite bathroom. A big, queen size, nice looking bed right in the middle of the spacious room.

"It's not much yet, and you'll have to share the bed, but it should do" she said, now looking at the girls.

"Not much?" Minako repeated "It's great! Thank you so much!"

The tall blonde woman nodded her head, one hand going to her pocket, the other rubbing her eyes "Ok, here's the deal" she started to say "I can offer you a bed and food for as long as you need it, but in return you'll have to help me out"

"Yes, of course" Michiru said "How may we help you?

"Well, I have two little devils running around the house" she answered, smiling "and I work here to get this place ready most of the day, so I need someone to look after them" then she looked right at Michiru "One of them wants to learn how to play the violin, but I haven't been able to find someone willing to come all the way up here everyday. And I can't really make her go down town, because she has some health problems, and the fresh air here is best for her, so..."

"Of course, no problem!" Michiru quickly said, smiling.

"Haruka!" a voice called out, and the blonde turned around in time to see a small black haired girl jumping up to her "Ami came by earlier today, and she gave me this really cool book!" she said, all excited, hugging the blonde by her waist "Did you know that Stradivari was italian, and he used some kind of special secret glaze on his violins?" she asked.

Haruka smiled down at her "Did he, now?"

"Yes! He was a genius!" the girl exclaimed, her violet eyes wide open "Can I have a Stradivarius? Please?"

"Well, kiddo, they're hard to come across..." the blonde started to say, but a soft hand on her shoulder made her turned around, to come face to face to a smiling aquamarine haired young woman.

"Actually, I have one right here" she said, holding up her violin case, and smiling at the girl.

The girl's eyes got even bigger, her smile shinning on her small pretty face "Really? That is so cool!" she exclaimed "Can I see it? Can I?" she begged "Please?"

"Of course you can!" Michiru answered her, putting the case down on the bed and opening it.

The little girl twist and jump, all excited. Haruka walked up next to her "This young lady here is going to teach you how to play" she said, pointing at the violinist.

"Really?" she asked, now looking at the aquamarine haired girl smiling down at her "Thank you so much!" she exclaimed, now hugging Michiru "Hi! I'm Hotaru Tomoe!" the girl introduced herself, looking up at the girl she was still hugging tight.

"Hello, Hotaru" Michiru greeted "I'm Michiru Kaioh, it's really nice to meet you"

"Michiru Kaioh?" Hotaru asked, her eyes getting even bigger. She looked up at Haruka, who was nodding her head, and then back at the smiling violinist "It's nice to meet _you_!" the girl exclaimed, happily "I promise I'll be the best student ever!"

Half an hour latter, Haruka was showing the big old house to her new guests, pointing at all the rooms they shouldn't really walk in because of the rotten floors or the fresh paint, so they should pay special attention, making sure the little girls wouldn't get in there.

They ended the little tour on the big kitchen down stairs. It had two functional ovens, and another two waiting to be installed. A big counter in the middle, with all kinds of frying pans, kitchen knifes, and spoons all over the place.

"And this is Makoto's territory" Haruka said, pointing at the tall brunette, who was already making dinner.

"Oh yeah!" the brunette said, smiling "And these babies are all mine!" she said, pointing at the ovens.

The two little girls came running into the kitchen, grabbed some cookies from the jar, and then ran right out again. Makoto laughed, and Haruka rolled her eyes. "If they don't eat their dinner, it's your fault" she said to the brunette.

"Oh, come on!" Makoto exclaimed "They're kids!"

Michiru frowned, and then looked at the tall blonde woman "She doesn't seem like a sick girl to me" she said "Hotaru, I mean"

Haruka let out a sigh "She's getting better now. Like I said, the air up here helps" she explained "Her mother died when she was born, and her father died on some weird accident at his lab eight months ago"

Minako and Michiru both let out a surprised gasp, and Makoto just nodded her head, her face serious "She was there too" the brunette said "And she breathed in all the toxic smoke, so her lungs got really bad, and she has breathing problems"

"God, that is so terrible!" Minako exclaimed, a hand over her mouth "Poor thing!"

"Yeah, it was pretty bad" Haruka agreed "Her father and mine were old friends, so I took her in"

"That was so nice of you" Michiru said, smiling softly at the tall blonde.

Makoto waved her hand at her "Oh, Haruka here is just an old good samaritan" she joked "She looks all rough and meany, but she's all softy on the inside!"

"I'm not softy" Haruka defended herself "And I'm not old!" she added, pointing a finger at the brunette "I'm going to go and check on Setsuna"

And with that, she left the kitchen. Makoto turned to the girls, smiling "She really is soft" she said to them "She did the same with me, you know"

"What do you mean?" Minako asked, frowning.

"I'm an orphan" the brunette answered "My parents died on a plain crash when I was fourteen, and the State sent me to this horrible foster home... I ran away, and lived on the streets for a while" she said, shaking her shoulders, as to take the importance out of her little tale "Haruka found me, she was there for a race. She took me in and brought me here with her"

Michiru blinked, surprised at the girl's tale "Wow, she really_ is_ nice"

Makoto smiled "Yeah, she's great" she said, smiling softly "She's kind of a private person, and she may seem hard to reach sometimes. But she's really nice. She's like an older sister to me"

"She's a car racer, right?" Minako said "And now she's opening this hotel?"

The brunette shook her shoulders "Well, she has a lot of money, and she said she always liked this big old house, so... here we are!" waving her hands around "We only get tourist during the summer, and sometimes during winter break. So most of the year it would be just us up here. The place is good for the girls, and like I said, Haruka is a private person, so it's perfect"

Michiru nodded her head, wondering. Why exactly was the tall blonde racer such a private person, as the brunette was saying? She was a famous person! So of course her life was out in the open, and she sure was used to it. So why was the blonde woman so jealous of her privacy?


	6. Chapter 5

A little more about Haruka's past. Keep in mind the prologue!

Things start getting into motion right now, so remember the details!

Hope you like it. Enjoy!

* * *

**5**

_Two young girls were sitting on the bed in the middle of the room, notebooks and textbooks all over the place. One was resting against the wall at the head of the bed, knees bent up, a book resting on them, a pen playing in her hand. She had long, wavy red hair, cascading down her shoulders and framing her white, perfect face and her dark, almost black eyes. Her flannel pants rolled up to her knees, her blue sweatshirt marking her curves._

_Right across from her, and just as concentrated on the textbook laying on the mattress right under her eyes, was another girl. Her long blonde hair cascading down her shoulders and over the sheets, her green eyes trying to understand what she was reading. There was a frowned on her pretty face, and she was chewing the tip of the pen she had in her hand. Her black training pants covering her long legs, a white cotton t-shirt covering her torso._

"_I don't get it!" the red haired girl exclaimed, making the other one look up at her._

_The blonde growled, and closed her textbook "Me neither" she said "This is impossible!"_

"_Lets do something fun!" exclaimed the redhead, throwing her own book away, and kneeling on the bed, sparkling eyes looking at her friend._

_The other girl considered it for a moment, but then she smiled, and threw her own book away, kneeling on the bed, just like her friend, and looking at her._

_"Ok!" she said "What should we do?"_

"_Lets try on some make up!"_

"_Come on, you know I don't like that stuff..." the blonde protested._

"_Why not?" the other asked "I bet you'll look beautiful!" she said, grabbing her friends face with her hands and studying her features. She looked into her friend's eyes, and then they both froze, just looking at each other._

_They didn't know what happened next, but they found their lips meeting on a soft, shy kiss, that soon became something else, as they both opened their mouths. Tongues dancing together, discovering for the first time what it was like to really kiss someone._

_And then the door flung opened, and they jumped apart._

_"What the hell is going on here?" they heard a woman yelled at them. But before the elder black haired woman could get an answered, the red haired girl pushed the blonde one towards the door._

"_She was just leaving!" she exclaimed. And not knowing what else to do, or what to say at all, the blonde obeyed, and walked out of the bedroom and out the house._

_She made her way home, hands in her pockets and kicking some rocks on the way, trying to understand exactly what had happened at her friend's house._

_They kissed! That wasn't normal... they were both girls!_

_The blonde frowned. But it felt so right..._

_She reached her house, and before she could put her hand on the knot, the door flung open, and she looked back at an angry face._

"_Hi daddy" she said._

"_What the hell did you think you were doing?" he asked, his voice a raging growl "Kissing a girl?" he asked, yelling at her, and grabbing her arm, jerking her inside the house in a rude manner._

"_Daddy, wait! I'm sorry!" she tried to explain. But a hard slap on her face made her shut up, flying down to the floor. She looked up at him, green eyes full of tears "Daddy..."_

"_No daughter of mine would act like that!" he yelled, kicking her hard on the ribs "You dyke!" he yelled, kicking her hard again "You disgusting dyke!"_

_And the screams of a desperate, crying girl filled the house, as the kicks were replaced by hard, strong lashes from her father's belt. Blood coming from the girl's back, splashing everywhere, as the golden clasp met white skin._

She jerked up, trembling, sweating and screaming. A pair of hands on her wet cheeks scared her, and she fought them, trying to get away.

"Haruka! Haruka, it's me!" a female voice called to her, the same set of hands trying to grab her trembling ones, and the blonde woman tried to focus her eyes on the face in front of her. She saw blue eyes, and long aquamarine hair.

And those eyes were looking at her with a worried expression.

"Are you ok?" a soft voice from the door got their attention, and both women looked up at the black haired little girl standing there, hugging a shorter blonde one. They were both looking at a gasping, crying Haruka with worried eyes.

The little blonde girl went up to the bed, frowning "You were screaming" she said, looking up at the tall, gasping woman.

"I'm ok" Haruka assured them, her trembling hand caressing the little girl's head "It was just a bad dream, that's all"

Minako was standing at the door way too, her hands on Hotaru's shoulders. But she soon came into the bedroom, taking the little blonde girl's hand in hers "Come on, lets get back to bed" she said, smiling softly at both girls "Everything's fine, lets go"

And with that, she left the room, along with the two worried little girls. Michiru turned back to the still trembling blonde.

"I'm ok, really" she said, in a shaking voice "I'm sorry for waking everyone up..."

"Come on, I'll make you some tea" the aquamarine haired girl said to her, smiling warmly, and taking her hand in hers.

"Where's Makoto?" the tall blonde woman asked, letting the younger woman guided her out of the room and down the stairs.

"She hasn't come back from her date yet" was all the answer Michiru gave.

Haruka nodded, remembering the tall brunette had a date with some friend of hers from other town, and they were supposed to enjoy the town's party that night. Once they reached the kitchen, she rested against the counter, closing her eyes and taking deep breaths. She heard the other woman pouring water to make the promised tea, and then getting close to her.

"What happened?" she asked softly.

The blonde opened her eyes again, not looking at the younger woman, and let out a sigh "Just a ghost from the past" she finally answered "Don't worry, I'm fine"

"You were screaming, and crying" Michiru said, frowning, and putting a comforting hand on the blonde's arm "And you're shaking..."

She was worried. She had been staying at the racer's house for two days now, and she knew nothing about her. She truly was a private person. She was nice enough, and even funny, but she never talked about herself nor her family.

And Michiru had heard her gasping out in the middle of the night. She had a very light sleep, and the blonde's hard breathing and soft cries woke her up, and Michiru was sure the tall woman must be having terrible nightmares to wake up like that.

And even though she knew nothing about her at all –although she had spent three months completely obsessed over the blonde, thinking she was a male-, she was still worried.

"It's nothing, really" Haruka said to her "I'm ok"

"It's ok if you don't want to tell me right now" Michiru said "But if you ever need to talk..."

Haruka looked at her for a moment, before a small, thankful smile came to her lips.

"Thanks" she said, now somewhat calmer. "Guess we all have our secrets, right?"

Michiru frowned, not really understanding the look upon the blonde's face.

"I mean, you're a talented violinist, and a raising music star. And yet you're here, in this town, in the middle of nowhere" she said, and when she saw the aquamarine haired girl's surprised expression, she chuckled "What? You thought that just because I live up here, I don't keep myself updated? You're a well known musician"

"No, no, it's not that" Michiru said "I just... I guess I never thought you knew, that's all. I'm not hiding"

A blonde eyebrow rose up "Really?"

Michiru tilted her head at her "Really" she answered "I needed a break from everything, and the fact that I found my boyfriend with two girls in bed gave me the perfect reason to just... take some time off"

Haruka winced "Sorry about that"

"It's ok" she said, shaking her shoulders "It wasn't really working anyway, you know? It just felt... wrong"

The blonde frowned at that "Wrong? Like 'it wasn't meant to be' wrong, or like 'he was just crazy' wrong?"

_More like 'I think I'm gay' wrong_, Michiru said to herself. But she just shook her head, and said "I guess it wasn't meant to be" she looked up at her "What about you?"

"Me? Oh, no, no boyfriend here" she answered "I'm a car racer, and a mother of three" she joked "And that alone is a full time job, you know?"

"Wow, you were really young when you had Makoto, then" Michiru joked too.

"Oh, yeah" Haruka said, smiling "I was five!"


	7. Chapter 6

**6**

A white car parked right at the police office entrance, and two young men got out, walking into the station. Their set faces and their black suits making them both look important, and deadly serious.

"May I help you?" the receptionist asked, smiling politely at them.

"Yes, you may" said one of them, his coffee colored eyes looking right at the young woman "We are looking for Haruka Tenoh"

The young woman blinked, surprised "Haruka?" she repeated, looking confused "Is she in trouble? She's always so nice..."

"That's classified information, lady" the other man said, teal eyes completely unreadable "We need to find her, and we need to talk to your superior. Immediately"

"Yes, yes, of course" she quickly said, intimidated by the two strange men.

...

She put the paint can down on the floor, and looked around the empty room. Hands on her hips, a dark blue bandana covering her blonde hair to protect it from getting paint all over it. An old, wide black t-shirt with white spots all over, and matching loose pants hanging from her hips.

She could hear the sound of a violin being wonderfully played somewhere outside, along with the sound of childish laughter. And she smiled at that. The girls were more than happy with their new musician guest.

And she was happy with the musician too.

After that night, two nights ago, when she had woken up screaming and trembling, the younger woman had offered her some comfort, just by being there and drinking her tea with the tall racer, talking over nothing at all and smiling. And Haruka had became more comfortable around her.

Maybe it was the fact that the younger woman had respected her privacy, not asking any questions, and simply offering her company, and maybe even her friendship. Or maybe it was just the way the aquamarine haired woman carried herself, with such a calm, serene expression. But there was something about her that made the tall woman feel at ease around her.

The truth was, around the violinist, Haruka felt exactly the same way she did when listening to her music. At ease, and relaxed. She had Michiru's albums –not that the younger woman knew _that_, of course-, and she listened to them every night on her MP3 player. The soft music helped her to relax and drift off to dreamland.

Even if dreamland wasn't so nice to her...

So, yes, she was quite happy with the young violinist.

And Minako was a really nice girl too. She had turned out to be a wonderful nanny, and incredibly patient with the some times too excited little girls. And they were crazy about her too, with her story telling abilities, and her yoga classes, when the girls would twist and turned trying to imitate the elastic blonde woman.

"She sounds good" a female voice behind her got her attention, and she turned around, to face the tall, beautiful dark green haired woman, wearing a similar outfit as her own.

Haruka nodded her head "Yes, she does" she agreed.

"Ok, lets get started!" Setsuna exclaimed, but then she frowned "Where's Makoto?"

"Helping Minako to keep an eye on Hikari" she said, smiling "She's being extremely hyperactive today"

"Isn't she always?" Setsuna asked, smiling too, while kneeling down to the paint can and opening it.

They started working, each woman taking a naked wall to themselves and working on it. But the sound of Haruka's cellphone made her stopped on her task and take the phone out of her back pocket. For some strange reason, the reception up there was extremely good.

But she wasn't about to complain, considering they didn't have a phone line on the house yet.

"Hello?" she said into the phone, answering it "Oh, hi... what? Who?" she frowned, at the same time that a car made its way to the their entry road. She looked out the window, narrowing her green eyes "I guess they're here already" she said into the phone "Thanks for the warning"

She hung up, still looking at the strange car. Setsuna walked up to her, looking out the window too.

"Who are they?" she asked, looking at the car she didn't recognized.

"That's what I'm about to find out" Haruka said, turning around and making her way down the stairs.

...

The young silvery haired man made it into the entry of the big old house, and stopped the car.

"You sure you're ready for this?" his partner asked him.

He simply nodded his head, and got out of the car. And the moment his foot touch the soft green grass, a little girl went running towards him. She had blonde hair, barely reaching her small shoulders, tied in two low pigtails with little blue ribbons dancing in the soft summer breeze. Her big green eyes were looking up at him in a curious way; her little hands playing with her light blue summer dress, and a wide smile on her pretty little face.

"Hi!" she greeted him.

The tall man recognized those soft green eyes immediately. He had seen those same eyes on another young girl, years ago. Soft, green eyes he had dreamed about ever since the last time he had seen them. He felt a knot on his throat, and he gulped, kneeling down in front of the little girl.

"Hi" he greeted back "I'm... we're looking for someone..."

"Who?" the girl asked, now intrigued.

"Hikari! Don't run away like that!" an aquamarine haired woman called to her, walking up to the strange man kneeling in front of the little girl, and looking up and down at the other man standing right next to them "May I help you?" she asked, frowning.

"I'm officer Hoshi, and this is my partner, officer Kori" the brown haired man said, showing his patch to the young woman "We're here looking for Haruka Tenoh"

"Can I help you, officers?" a voice from the porch got everyone's attention, making them turned around to the tall blonde woman, walking her way towards them.

But then she stopped dead on her tracks, her green eyes wide open and looking right into teal ones.

"Kunzite?" she asked, her voice barely a whispered.

"Who's the hottie?" Minako asked Makoto, both women standing at the door way, looking at the strange men.

"Which one?" the brunette asked back. But Setsuna glared at them, and she shut up before saying anything else, and the three of them just stood there, Hotaru right next to them.

The silvery haired young man stood up from his kneeling position next to the little girl, looking back at the tall woman. He took a hesitant step towards her, slowly. His eyes watering, but never leaving green ones. His heartbeat completely out of control.

"Kunzite!" Haruka exclaimed, now running the rest of the way towards the tall young man, and jumping to him, holding him close "Oh, God, Kunz!" she exclaimed, her green eyes full of tears now, and burring her face on the man's neck, breathing him in.

"Jesus, Haruka!" he exclaimed, holding her back just as tight "Where were you all this time?" he asked, his voice trembling "I looked for you everywhere!"

"I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, not letting him go "God, I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too, Haru" he said, now looking at her eyes, and caressing her wet cheeks with his thumbs "What happened?" he asked.

Before Haruka could answered anything, a soft pulled on her pants got her attention, and she sniffled, looking down.

"Mommy?" the blonde little girl asked, frowning and looking confused "Why are you crying? Who is he?"

She wiped her tears, and knelt down right next to her. "Princess, I'd like you to meet someone very special" she softly said to her, looking up at the tall man "This is your uncle, Kunzite"


	8. Chapter 7

**7**

Everyone gasped at the unexpected revelation, and Hikari looked at the young handsome man, who was now kneeling right next to her, and smiling warmly at her.

"Kunz, this is my daughter, Hikari" Haruka said, smiling at the little blonde girl.

"Hi, there, Hikari" he softly said to the girl.

"Hi" she said back, now acting somehow shyly. But then the girl turned to her mother, and frowned, looking at her red, crying eyes. She reached up a hand, softly caressing her mother's wet cheek, wiping away her tears "Why are you sad, mom?" she asked.

Haruka chuckled "I'm not sad, princess" she answered, taking the girl's hand in hers and kissing it "I'm really, really happy"

"Then why are you crying?" she asked again, not really understanding.

"Because I haven't seen him in a really long time" the tall blonde woman answered again.

Hikari nodded her head, and then looked at the silvery haired man. He was crying too, so she reached up a little hand to his cheek "Are you happy too?" she asked.

Kunzite laughed warmly at her, and nodded his head "Yes, I'm very happy"

"Do you want me to play the piano for you?" Hikari asked him, a big happy smile on her face "I'll make you smile, promise!" she exclaimed, taking his big hand in hers.

"Princess..." Haruka started to say, but Kunzite just smiled at her, and then at the little girl.

"I'd love to hear you play" he said, standing up and letting the little girl dragged him inside the house.

Haruka followed them with her eyes, still too surprised to move at all. Makoto came next to her, looking at her with a surprised, questioning expression on her pretty face. And the tall blonde woman was about to explain, when a voice called out to them.

"Hi, my name is Nephrite Hoshi" the brown haired man said, reaching out to shake his hand with the blonde woman "I'm Kunzite's partner"

Haruka blinked, but then remembered the phone call from the police station receptionist, telling her that two police officers from out of town were looking for her.

"Yes, of course, I'm sorry" she said, shaking his hand and wiping her tears with the other "I'm Haruka, and this is Makoto" she introduced the tall brunette girl.

"It's ok, I understand" he said, smiling at her "It's a pleasure to meet you both"

"Lets get inside, shall we?" Makoto said, guiding the way.

They all got inside, and after all the introductions were made, they went into the still in progress living room. They could hear the sound of the piano coming from the other room, and Makoto excused herself to go and make some tea for all of them.

"You all live up here?" Nephrite asked, taking a seat on the couch and looking up at the tall blonde woman.

"Yes. No" she shook her head "Setsuna is just working here with me, she lives down town. And Minako and Michiru are our guests" she explained.

Nephrite looked at the dark green haired woman, and then at the other two, the three of them standing on the hallway, looking at the other room, where he guessed was the piano, and the little girl with Kunzite.

"Too many people" the long brown haired man murmured.

Haruka frowned at him, and was about to ask what he was talking about, when Makoto came in with a tray and the tea at the same moment that Hikari dragged Kunzite back into the living room, the two of them followed by a smiling Hotaru, and three curious women.

"Ok, here's the tea" the brunette said, handing the cups to the men sitting across from her. And then she turned to the racer woman, frowning "Can you explain to me why on earth you never told me you have a brother?" she asked.

"Twin brother, actually" Haruka said, smiling at her.

"What?" the brunette exclaimed, eyes wide open "And why the hell didn't you tell me this before?"

"Makoto!" Setsuna scolded her "Your language!" she said, looking at the giggling little girls standing there.

The brunette had the grace to blush, and Minako smiled at her, taking the young little girls by their hands, "Ok, girls, lets go play outside and leave the boring grown ups to talk for a while, ok?" she said to them.

Haruka smiled thankfully at her, and nodded her head towards the dark green haired woman and the aquamarine haired one, as they all got the girls outside to give them some privacy.

Makoto, apparently, didn't want to leave at all, so she simple took a sit on the couch next the the tall blonde woman, smiling warmly at the men.

"Ok" she said "I'm listening"

The silvery haired man smiled at her, but then he looked at his long lost sister "She looks exactly like you, you know?" he said "Why didn't you tell me? I had no idea..."

"It's a really long story..." she answered, rubbing her neck.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere, so start talking" he said "Is that why you left?"

"How did you find me, anyway?" Haruka asked, not answering his question.

Nephrite handed her what it looked like a pretty big file, and a sport magazine with a marked page. She opened the magazine, and found her very own picture along with a small reference on her last car race and her general profile. Or as much of a profile she gave the media, anyway. She nodded her head, and then opened the file. And her eyes went wide open, her face turning white.

"What is this?" she asked, looking up at her brother.

"Exactly what it looks like" Nephrite answered "That man is dangerous, and he's out and running free. And right now, he's after you"

"What?" Haruka asked, frowning "Why me?"

"Come on, Haru" Kunzite said "You're quite famous now. Did you really think that no one would recognized you if you simply changed your last name and cut your hair off?"

"It worked this far" she mumbled, still looking at the file in her hands.

The sound of childish laughter reached their ears, and Kunzite turned his head, looking out the window. A blonde little girl was running around, chasing down a beautiful, laughing aquamarine haired woman.

He let out a sigh "She's his, isn't she?"

"She's mine" Haruka answered, looking right into her brother's teal eyes.

"This guy's Hikari's father?" Makoto asked, now looking at the file herself.

"No" Haruka said, now standing up "She's _my_ daughter. Don't you dare saying otherwise" she said, deadly serious, still looking at her brother.

Nephrite stood up too, looking at the tall, and now somehow angry blonde woman in front of him "Look, I don't know all the little details here" he started to say "But I do know that that man has been convicted for armed robbery and kidnap, and he's a violent, dangerous man. And right now, you are his new little obsession, so that means you're in danger here"

"I'm not scared of him" Haruka said, looking at the tall brown haired man.

"Look, Mrs. Tenoh..." Nephrite started to say.

"Miss" Haruka corrected him, her nose up in the air in a proud manner "I'm not married"

"Miss Tenoh" he corrected himself "You're living all the way up here, alone with three other women, and you have two little girls to look after..."

"I appreciate your effort" Haruka interrupted him "Really, I do. But he hasn't come up here, and I really don't think he would. If he does, then I'll let you know. Meanwhile, I'm not going anywhere"

"Haruka, I think they're serious about this..." Makoto commented.

"Oh, please!" the tall blonde woman exclaimed "I haven't seen that asshole in six years! Why would he come after me after all this time?"

"Because you have something he wants" Kunzite answered her.


	9. Chapter 8

**8**

"What happened, Haru?" Kunzite asked his sister.

They were both alone in the kitchen now. Nephrite had gone to take a look around, to make sure everything was in order, and Makoto had decided the siblings needed a time alone to catch up.

"I got knocked up" Haruka answered "I made the stupid mistake of dating that asshole, and he knocked me up!"

"I thought you liked him" he said, frowning.

"Well, I didn't, alright!" she exclaimed, hands up in the air "I only went out with him because he asked me, and I was trying to fit in. And then your father liked him, so I dated him"

"He was your father too" Kunzite said. He had already told his sister their father had died three years ago, on some stupid fight that had gone wrong on a bar.

"No, he wasn't" she said "My father was Banken Tenoh, and he was a great man!" she exclaimed "I was sixteen, two months pregnant and living on the streets, starving to death and freezing my ass off! And he took me in, got me to a hospital, and then he adopted me" her eyes started watering by now "He took care of me. And he loved me, and accepted me for who I am!"

"I love you too!" Kunzite exclaimed "Why didn't you tell me? Why did you run off like that?"

"Because he would have kill me!" Haruka answered, yelling and crying "He sent me to a hospital for two weeks over kissing a girl, for God's sake! You know that, you were there, remember? He called me a disgusting dyke, and then he beat me up so hard I couldn't even walk for a week! I still have the marks on my back!" she kept on yelling "And I _am_ a disgusting dyke, I just didn't know that back then!"

A gasp got their attention, and Haruka's eyes went wide open as she looked at the aquamarine haired woman standing there "I... I'm sorry... I just came for... for some water..." she stuttered.

The tall blonde woman frowned "Where's Hikari?" she asked. She really didn't want her daughter hearing her yelling like that... there was never any yelling in her house, and she wanted to keep it that way. She wanted a peaceful, loving home for her daughter, and for Hotaru too.

"She's outside, playing with Hotaru and Minako" Michiru answered, and Haruka nodded her head at her, a nervous hand going through her short blonde hair.

"You could have told _me_" Kunzite said, completely ignoring the younger woman "All I know is that I just woke up one day, and I didn't have a sister anymore! It's been six years, Haruka! I thought you were dead, for God's sake!" he exclaimed "And why the hell did you date that asshole if you didn't even like him in the first place?"

"Because I was young and stupid!" she exclaimed "And I _had_ to run away. That monster I had as a father beat the crap out of me right after he found out, Kunz" she answered, now in a softer voice, getting a glass and filling it with water "He kicked me so hard I thought I was going to lose my baby. And then he locked me up, and went out to get drunk again!" she exclaimed. And then she let out a sigh "So I just.... ran. I took my bag pack, jumped off the window and took off before he could come back and beat the life out of me..." she finished, in a low whisper.

"Kunz, I need you out here for a second" came Nephrite's voice from the kitchen's doorway, and the three occupants of the room looked up at him.

Kunzite nodded, and before following his partner, he went to his sister and held her close. He then smiled at her, rubbing her arms with his hands, and went after his partner.

Haruka rest her hands on the counter, taking a deep breath, and closing her eyes. She really didn't needed this right now. She had worked hard to get her life back in order, away from the nightmare she had lived in when she was a teenage girl. Away from her abusing father.

And she had promised herself she would never be weak again. And, most importantly, she had promised she would never, ever lie to herself again.

Because that's what Hikari's father had been. A lie. A big, fat lie she had made up for the world, trying to convinced herself that it was just a phase, that she truly liked men. That she liked _him_.

She had tried to pleased her father, and to do that, she had tried to pleased him. Only to ended up pregnant.

"I'm sorry" Michiru's soft voice got her out of her own thoughts "I didn't mean to come in like that..."

"It's ok" she told her "It doesn't even matter anymore"

"Yes, it does" she softly said, putting a hand on the blonde's shoulder "You still have nightmares about it"

Haruka looked at her, and blinked. "You just found out I'm a lesbian, my daughter's criminal father is hunting me down, and my long lost brother's here trying to get to him, but you're worried about me having nightmares?" she asked, frowning "Are you for real?"

Michiru shook her shoulders "Well, it's not exactly your fault he's a criminal, is it?" she said, smiling "And, yes, I do believe I'm real and very much alive, though I could be someone else's dream character..."

"Uh?"

"Just a stupid theory I heard once" Michiru said, shaking her head.

Again, the tall blonde woman blinked at her "You're weird" she finally said.

"I know" the younger woman said, still smiling up at the tall woman "People tell me that all the time"

Haruka chuckled, and Michiru giggled.

"Look, if you're freaked out about all this, and you want to leave, I understand..."

Michiru frowned at her "Why should I?" she asked "Ok, that guy does sound kind of creepy... was he like that when you dated him?"

"No, he was your typical popular guy" she answered, handing her the long forgotten glass of water "He was kind of demanding, though" she added, frowning.

"So why did you date him?" Michiru wanted to know.

The blonde let out a sigh "I was scared, and desperately trying to fit in, to be like everyone else" she answered "And for some reason, he liked me, so... I was just lying to myself. And then one night, at some stupid party, he got drunk and decided we should take our relationship to the next level"

Blue eyes got wide open upon noticing the dark look on those green eyes "Did he... forced you?" she asked, horrified. And a sudden fear pressed her chest when she saw the tall blonde woman lowering her eyes. "Haruka, that's rape!"

Haruka shook her head "It's not rape when you let it happen" she said, as she vaguely wondered why she was telling her all that....

She had never told anyone before. Not even her adoptive father. But there was something about the young woman she had right in front of her, that made the tall blonde woman trusted her.

Even if they barely knew each other.

"I... I'm sorry" Michiru finally said, hugging the tall blonde and surprising her "You went through so much... I had no idea"

Haruka blinked, surprised at the sudden movement, but then slowly returned the hug.

"It's ok" she said "Like I said, I was young and stupid, and I made a mistake"

"You're amazing, did you know that?" the younger woman said, looking at her green eyes, and still holding the tall woman.

She blushed lightly at the compliment. "No, I'm not" the blonde said "I just ran away. That doesn't make me amazing, that just makes me a coward"

Michiru looked up at her "That's not true" she argued back "You had the courage to walk away from that, and started a new life. You have a brilliant career as a car racer, you are about to open your own hotel, and you're a mother of three" she said the last part with a teasing smile, remembering the blonde's words a few nights before "I'm impressed!" she exclaimed.

The blonde chuckled, and Michiru smiled at her. They stayed like that for a moment, just looking at each others eyes, until blue eyes slowly drifted south, to the tall blonde's lips.

Haruka noticed this, and her throat went dry all of a sudden, as the small gap between their faces got smaller.

"Mommy, look!" Hikari's joyful voice made them jump apart "I'm a police man!" the little girl exclaimed, entering the kitchen and showing her mother a police badge "I'm a detactive!" she exclaimed, jumping around the kitchen.

Despite her embarrassment, Michiru giggled at the little girl.

Haruka cleared her throat, and smiled down at her daughter "It's detective, princess"

"Yeah, that!" the girl said, smiling.

* * *

Just for the record: Kunzite's last name, Kori, means Ice. Nephrite's (Hoshi) means star. Hikari means light (nice one, right?), and Banken means guardian


	10. Chapter 9

**9**

Nephrite guided his partner outside, and to the back of the house, into the forest around it. He made a few steps, and then stopped right next to a tree, pointing to his partner a set of foot prints and a cigarette butt.

They both bent down, looking at it, and Kunzite frowned.

"Could be anyone" he said, deep in thought "Haruka did say they were getting help from the people down town from time to time"

Nephrite nodded "I know" he agreed "But I still think it's too dangerous out here. I don't like this, man. I don't like this at all" he then turned towards the house, pointing from their position to the window on the first floor "That's your niece's bedroom" he said "It's too much of a coincidence in my book"

The silvery haired man frowned again. "Haruka won't leave" he said, after a while "Unless we come up with solid proof that he's here, she won't leave"

"Maybe you can talk to her..."

Kunzite shook his head "You always say I'm a thick head" he interrupted him "You say that because you don't know _her_"

"Look, man, we have to do something, alright?" Nephrite said "You dragged me all the way out here, in a case you shouldn't be involved with in the first place. But since you _forgot_ to tell our captain that the woman we're suppose to protect is actually your long lost twin sister, here we are. So, I'm sorry, but I'm gonna do what I came here to do" he said. "I don't care if she's as thick headed as you are. I'll tie her down to a chair if I have to, in order to get this bastard!"

"Uh! I always loved that 'good cop bad cop' role play thingy" a female voice got their attention, and they turned around to see the tall brunette girl standing close to them. A smile on her face, hands on her back pockets "So which one's the good cop here?"

"That would be him" Nephrite said, pointing at his partner.

Makoto smiled "Then that means I like _you_ better" she said. But when the tall brown haired man only looked at her frowning, she added "Bad cop's always sexier"

Kunzite chuckled at the girl's words, and Nephrite just blinked at her.

"I'm sorry, did you need anything?" he asked, somewhat embarrassed.

"Oh, yeah! I almost forgot!" she exclaimed, a hand playing with her ponytail "I wanted to ask you guys if you're staying for dinner. I always make way too much food, anyway, but I wanted to make sure..."

"Yeah, sure" Kunzite said "if it's not much of a bother..."

"'Course not! You're family!" she said, smiling at the silvery haired man, and then she looked at the other man "And you're a hottie, so you're welcome to stay too!"

And with that, the brunette girl turned around and left. Kunzite blinked a couple of times, and then he just laughed. Nephrite rolled his eyes at him.

"Dear God" he murmured, both men making their way to the front of the house again.

They all got inside again, and both detectives went to talk to the tall blonde woman again. They found her still at the kitchen with the young aquamarine haired woman, and the tall brunette girl already making dinner. A dancing, jumping Hikari was with them too.

"Come on, sweetie, lets go play with Hotaru and Minako" Michiru said, when she saw the two men walking in with serious expressions on their faces.

The little, very hyperactive girl went running out of the kitchen in a heartbeat, a young, amused violinist right after her. And Kunzite followed the little girl's excited movements with his eyes.

"She looks all cute, but she's one little devil" Makoto said, smiling at him.

"Like mother, like daughter" he said, returning the smile and winking at his sister.

"Watch it, dude" Haruka said, glaring at him.

"We need to make some arrangements" Nephrite said, getting to the point immediately "There's too many people living here already, and it's a big house"

"I already told you I'm not going anywhere" Haruka said.

"I'm staying too" Makoto said. And when both men looked at her with questioning eyes, she soon added "If she stays, I stay" she said, pointing at the blonde woman "She's all the family I have. And Hikari and Hotaru, they're my family. I'm not leaving"

Nephrite growled, and Kunzite took a deep breath. "I'm not sure separating them is such a good idea" he commented, more to himself than to anyone at all. But then he turned to his partner "He may be already watching them..."

"If he's here at all" Haruka interrupted.

"_If_ he's here" Kunzite continued, glaring at her "He may be already watching, and that means he already knows how many people live here. If they get separated, they become easy target"

Nephrite considered this for a moment, and then he nodded his head "Ok, here's what we're going to do" he started "The local police already has his description, and they'll be alert in case he shows up in town. So that should cover that area" he looked at his partner "We should cover this one. So we're camping here"

"I'm sorry, what?" the tall blonde woman asked, frowning "We don't have the space"

"It's a big house" Nephrite argued.

"The room's are not ready!" she exclaimed "I don't have an empty room to offer you and..."

"We'll manage" Nephrite insisted.

Haruka blinked at him, and the growled "You're impossible!" she exclaimed.

"I learned from the best" he answered her, pointing with his head at the tall, silvery haired man. But before anyone could say anything, he kept on talking "And I think it's best if you don't let the girls out of your sight. And I don't want anyone coming and going to town alone, is that understood?"

"You want to make me a prisoner at my own house?" Haruka asked, now getting annoyed, hands on her hips, and frowning.

"You want to put your daughter at risk?" he asked back "This guy wants to squeeze the money out of you, and in order to do that, he's going to do a whole lot worse than getting you pregnant!" he finished, almost yelling.

"Ok, time off!" Makoto exclaimed, hands up in the air, getting in between the tall, angry blonde woman and the equally angry brown haired man "I'm sure we can work something out here, without biting our heads off" she looked at her blonde friend "'Cause I kinda like better you in one piece, you know? And they mean well, so chill, ok?"

She looked at the brunette, and then growled, before raising her hands up in defeat "Fine! Whatever!" she exclaimed, walking out of the kitchen.

"Jesuschrist!" Nephrite exclaimed, looking at his partner "She really _is_ worse than you!"

Kunzite didn't bother with an answer. Instead, he just walked after his sister. Makoto turned to the remaining man.

"Does this mean I have two dense, thick headed characters instead of just my regular one?" she asked.

"You have no idea"


	11. Chapter 10

**10**

The high pitch scream pierced the quiet night, and two men sleeping at the living room got up immediately, making their way up the stairs fast, guns ready and in their hands.

The tall blonde woman recognized the scream in a heartbeat, and got up from her bed, running across the long hallway, heart beating fast on her throat. But when she made it to the room where the scream came from, the lights were already on, and there was a figure bending down on one of the single beds.

Michiru was already trying to calm down the crying girl. Hotaru was looking down at them from her standing position, right next to the little blonde's bed.

"It's ok, sweetie" the aquamarine haired woman was saying "It's just a bad dream"

"No, it's not!" the girl sobbed into the young woman's chest.

"What's wrong?" Haruka asked, walking up to her daughter and sitting on the bed.

The two armed men made it to the bedroom at the same time as Hikari threw herself at her mother's arms, sobbing.

"There's a green monster under my bed!" she cried.

Haruka smiled at her "It's just a dream, princess" she said, softly caressing her blonde hair "It was just a bad dream"

"It was a nightmare, Kari" Hotaru said, her voice soft but tired. A hand rubbing her violet eyes "There's no one under your bed"

"No, he's there!" she insisted, her voice muffled by her mother's chest "I know he is!"

Michiru smiled softly at her "Want me to check?" she asked, getting up from the bed.

"No!" Hikari exclaimed, now grabbing the violinist's arms with her little hands "He'll get you!"

"Ok, come on" Haruka said, getting up and lifting the little girl in her arms "I'll make you some warm milk, ok?"

Hikari nodded her head against her mother's neck, and Haruka walked out of the room with the girl cuddled in her arms. She glared at her brother and his partner, her eyes on their guns.

"Put that away" she said to her brother "I don't want you scaring them off with that thing"

They nodded their heads, turning around and coming face to face with Makoto and Minako, both young women standing in the hallway, right next to the girls' bedroom door. As soon as the tall blonde woman got out, they both went inside, to make sure Hotaru was fine and to put her back into bed.

"I'm sorry, it's just a reflex" Nephrite apologized, taking a look inside the room.

The tall blonde woman didn't bother with an answer, and went right down the stairs. Michiru got out of the room as well, and patted her hand on the man's shoulder.

"I'll go with them" she softly said "You two go back to bed"

Nephrite nodded his head "I'll stay here" he said, looking back into the bedroom, his eyes on the window "I'll feel better if I keep a close eye in here"

"I'll go down stairs with them" Kunzite said, nodding his head.

They both went down stairs, and Kunzite went back to the living room, teal, narrowed eyes watching out the windows and into the dark forest around.

Michiru went to the kitchen, and found an already half asleep Hikari on her mother's lap, both of them sitting down on a chair next to the make up table. A cup of warm milk right next to them.

"How is she?" she asked, walking up to them and looking down at the little girl.

"She's fine" the tall blonde answered, rocking the small girl in her arms, and gently caressing her soft hair "She saw some guy drawing big ugly green monsters once, and she dreams about it every now and then"

"She has a wide imagination" came Kunzite's voice from the kitchen's door.

Haruka nodded "And that is exactly why I don't let her watch tv" she said.

Kunzite took a seat next to his sister, and Michiru offered to make some tea for the three of them "You know, they say kids with a wide imagination are always smarter" she commented, from her standing place.

The blonde nodded, smiling "She's a smart girl" she said. "My little angel" she whispered, gently caressing the girl's cheek and kissing her forehead, who in return rubbed her face against Haruka's chest, recognizing her mother even in her sleep.

Kunzite looked at the sleeping blonde girl in her sister's arms, and smiled. She was young, but still looked older than her real age. Hikari could easily pass as a six year old. She really was a smart girl. And tall.

_Just like her mother_, he thought, the smile on his face loving, and warm.

But he knew the girl was younger than that. If the math in his head was right, the girl had turned five years old two months ago. And he made a mental note to get her niece a late present for her birthday. _My niece..._

Michiru came to the table, and handed them their tea cups. She then went to grab her own, and took a seat right next to the tall racer, a soft smile on her lips as she watched the little girl sleeping on her mother's arms.

"I'm sorry, Haru" Kunzite suddenly said, soft teal eyes looking at his niece "I'm really sorry, I had no idea..."

"It's ok, Kunz" she said, a sad smile on her face "It wasn't your fault. You had nothing to do with it"

"But I should have done something!" he insisted "I knew how he treated you, and I knew how miserable you were, and I never did anything. I'm so sorry..."

"I'm sorry too" Haruka said, her voice barely a husky whisper "I'm sorry for ever dating Asuke. I'm sorry for being so stupid and desperate, and for ever letting him touch me at all. I'm sorry for running away like that, not telling you anything. But I'm not sorry about her" she said, looking down at the sleeping girl "She's the best thing that ever happened to me, and I love her. With all my heart. I'd do anything for her" she looked back at her brother "For her, and for Hotaru and Makoto. They're my family now, and they mean the world to me"

"Then let me help you" he said, a hand going to caress her bare arm "If they're important to you, then they're important to me too" he rubbed his thumb against her skin. And then he got up from his chair, grabbing the little girl in his arms "I'll take her back to bed, you two finish your tea"

"Take her to my room" she said, before he disappeared behind the door "I'll be right up"

"She's a beautiful girl" Michiru said, looking after them. She then looked at the tall blonde getting up from her chair and taking her tea cup into the sink "She looks so much like you, you know?" the aquamarine haired girl said, getting up too "Like a mini you"

The blonde chuckled at that "God, I hope not!" she exclaimed "I was terrible!" she said, chuckling.

Michiru laughed warmly at that, and then she went to hug the tall blonde, kissing her cheek "You're not that bad" she said, looking up at her.

Haruka blushed, and just looked down at her, not really knowing what to answer to that. And soon she found herself drowning in the depths of those big blue eyes, and for the second time in less than twenty four hours, Haruka found herself getting closer to those pink lips.

Their faces got closer, and their lips met on a gentle, chaste kiss; a shock of electricity running through them both.

Haruka's hands went to cup the girl's cheeks, and Michiru's hands grabbed the material of the blonde's wide t-shirt, getting her closer, as both open their mouths and their tongues started dancing together.


	12. Chapter 11

**11**

_God, she tastes so sweet_, was Haruka's first rational thought.

And then her brain finally registered what was going on, what she was doing, and she broke the kiss off, practically jumping away from the younger woman.

Michiru opened her eyes, surprised at the sudden lack of warmth, and blinked.

"I'm sorry" the blonde said "I shouldn't have..."

"It's ok"

"I didn't mean to... I'm sorry" Haruka repeated, looking incredibly embarrassed.

Michiru looked at her, blue eyes meeting green ones "I did" she simply said. But when the blonde simply looked at her and blinked, the aquamarine haired woman just threw her hands up in the air, in a frustrated manner "We all have our secrets, right?"

"What?" the blonde asked, not really following.

"I think I'm gay!" she exclaimed "That's my secret! I think I'm gay, and I'm obsessed with you!"

Again, Haruka just blinked at her. What the hell was she talking about?

"You _think_? Wha... What do you mean? I... I don't understand..."

"Exactly what I said!" Michiru exclaimed again "I thought it was just a phase, I though it was just some stupid teenage curiosity or something. Kissing girls and all. And then I went to college, and I met Masaya, and I liked him. I did. He was sweet, and charming, and funny, but I wasn't really attracted to him and..."

"What are you talking about?" the tall woman asked, now frowning, and completely lost.

"My ex boyfriend!" the younger woman answered, now walking around the wide kitchen in small circles "I wasn't attracted to him, alright? I've never been attracted to men! But I liked him and he was sweet, and I liked being with him. But I didn't like... you know... _being_ with him... And how fucked up is that?" she asked, exasperated with herself "I mean, what kind of normal person doesn't like sex?"

"You don't like sex?" Haruka asked, frowning "You really are weird..."

"I know!" Michiru exclaimed "It never felt right, and I never really... enjoyed it... not really. So I tried to avoid it. That's why I can't really blame him for cheating on me so much. I mean, what kind of decent, loving girlfriend was I? Always avoiding intimacy? It's just crazy, right?"

"Ok, calm down, you're babbling" the blonde said, now getting somewhat amused over the aquamarine haired girl's confession.

"And then you showed up!" she kept talking and walking around "He took me to that race of yours, and the first time I saw you, I thought to myself, there's a guy I'm attracted to! I was thrilled!" she exclaimed, and Haruka chuckled at the comment "I was finally interested in a guy, for real, only to find out, you're not a guy at all!"

"Sorry" Haruka said "People often make the same mistake"

"I was devastated! I actually thought I'd be finally able to be with someone, and actually enjoy it, and... and I got obsessed with you! Only to come here because of some weird divine intervention and my stupid car dying on me, and I met you, and now I know the truth" she stopped walking in circles, and looked up at the tall blonde "And I'm still attracted to you! I'm so crazy about you!" she exclaimed, walking up to the tall woman "So I guess that means I'm gay, right? I never really liked men, and I always liked girls. And you... you just drive me crazy"

She kissed the tall blonde again, savagely, hard on the mouth. And Haruka responded with the same force, but then she broke the kiss again, grabbing the younger woman by the shoulders and keeping her at arms length.

"Michiru, I..." she started, looking at her big, confused blue eyes "Look, I like you, ok? I do. You're a beautiful woman, and I really do like you"

"But?" she asked, frowning.

"But you're the kind of person who's looking for a relationship. And I respect that..."

"But?" she asked again, not really following the blonde's point.

"But I don't do relationships" she answered her, and then she took a deep breath, a hand going through short blonde hair "My life's a mess. I'm a single mother, a car racer, and I'm in charge of a teen year old sick girl, and an orphan, crazy teenager. I'm out touring around the world for days or even weeks in a road, and then I spend the rest of my time here, in this town, right in the middle of nowhere, taking care of my family"

Michiru frowned at her "I don't understand... what does that have to do with...?"

"I'm a whole package!" she exclaimed "It's not just me you get involved with here, ok? And I understand how it can be too much for someone, so I just... don't" she explained "I can't let Hikari get close to someone who's not gonna be there next week. It turned out pretty nasty the last time, and I can't do that to her again. I won't. And now I have Hotaru too"

She took a deep breath, and lower her gaze. But when she felt Michiru's hand in her own, she looked up again "What happened?" she asked "Last time. You said it went wrong..."

The blonde let out a sight "She got fed up" she finally answered "I can't really blame her, I mean... I was out of town two, three days a week, and when I was here, I was always with Hikari, or making sure Makoto's not getting into trouble at school. She's a nice girl, but she thinks she's the people's defender or something, so she's always getting into fights... And then Dr. Tomoe died, and Hotaru came... I couldn't give her the time and the attention she needed, and it all became too much for her, so she just got fed up and went back to the city"

"Because of the girls?" Michiru asked, incredulous "But it's only normal!" she exclaimed "I mean, Hikari's your daughter, of course you have to be with her! And she's adorable! Who wouldn't want to spend time with her? And Makoto and Hotaru are under your care, and what you're doing for them is just amazing! Not many people would do that"

The blonde let out a sigh "You're young, you're only twenty years old" Haruka said "She was only a year older than you. It's just too much of a package for someone so young"

"You're twenty two, you're not that much older" Michiru argued.

"It's different" the blonde said "I chose this. I chose to keep my baby, I chose to take Makoto in with me, I chose to take care of Hotaru. It was my choice! Don't get me wrong, I don't regret it, and I'd do it all over again if I had to. But I can't force it into someone else's life!" she tried to explain "And don't get me started with this whole criminal ex boyfriend thing! And I'm sorry I dragged you into this mess, but it's not like I have a say in the matter..."

"I know that" she softly said, a hand gently caressing the blonde's cheek "And I know you're not just protecting the girls here"

Haruka shut her eyes, letting out a sigh "We're both tired, lets just go back to sleep, ok?" she said, opening her eyes again "Lets sleep this over, and maybe we can talk tomorrow"

Michiru smiled warmly at her, her hand still on Haruka's cheek "Ok" she said, nodding her head, and kissing her other cheek "Good night, Ruka"

And with that, the aquamarine haired young woman walked out of the kitchen, leaving a confused blonde woman behind her.

"Good night, Michi"


	13. Chapter 12

**12**

She slowly came back from the world of dreams, but refused to open her eyes quite yet. So she just stood there, laying on her back, and enjoying the sound of the morning birds singing at her window.

She remembered the conversation from the night before, and she let out a sigh, wondering what exactly was in store for her. Wondering if she would be willing to just take the shot and give it a try... It sure sounded good to her. And quite tempting. But the timing was all wrong...

A sudden punch in her stomach made her open her eyes, and she opened her mouth to yell out in pain, but instead she just looked down at the little leg now resting over her.

"Ouch!" she whispered to herself.

A soft giggled got her attention, making her look up at her bedroom door.

"You should really get her into that soccer team" Makoto said to her "I bet she'll rock at it!"

"Yeah, no kidding" she said, untangling herself from the sheets, and from the little sleeping girl. She went to her wardrobe, looking for her clothes.

She put her black cotton shorts on, and then a yellow t-shirt she found, grabbing her socks and her training shoes, walking up to the bed again. She put them on as well, and once she was all done and ready to head out, she turned around on the bed, softly kissing the sleeping girl's forehead.

She made her way downstairs, and was about to walk out to start her morning run around the woods, when a strong hand grabbed her arm and made her stop dead on her tracks.

She turned around, frowning, and looking right back into serious, teal eyes.

"Do you mind?" she asked, looking down at her arm, still on her brother's strong grip.

"Actually, I do" he answered "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm going for the circus try outs" she answered him, rolling her eyes "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm going for a run!"

He dragged her away from the door, and into the living room.

"No, you're not" he simply stated "No one's living this house unsupervised" he said "Including you"

She jerked away from him, freeing herself, and crossed her arms over her chest, looking really pissed off "Are you kidding me?" she asked "I know how to take care of myself!"

Kunzite smiled at that "Oh, I remember" he said, amused at the bunch of memories that came to his mind, of him and his thick headed sister fighting, trowing punches and kicks all over each other "I also remember it was never that easy for you to take me down"

She narrowed her eyes at him "Wanna give it a try?" she asked "I did take you down more than once. And I got better over the years"

"If you're gonna kick his ass, I'm bringing the popcorn" came a male voice from behind them, making the siblings turn around to face an amused Nephrite, taking sips from the coffee cup he had in one hand "It should be quite the entertainment"

She didn't answered him. Instead, she turned back around, willing to go out for her morning routine. But again, a strong grip stopped her.

"Let me go, already!" she exclaimed, looking at her brother "What' wrong with you?"

"Oh, you're not going anywhere" Nephrite said, taking another sip from his coffee.

"Excuse me? I'm not your prisoner here!"

"Did I tell her about the crazy, dangerous man hunting her down, or did I just dream all that?" Kunzite asked, looking at his partner. He looked at his angry looking sister again, a serious expression on his handsome face "Look, you're not going anywhere alone. Is that clear enough, or do you need me to spell it for you?" he asked "Now go up stairs, and take nice good care of that cute little girl of yours. I believe your friend's already making breakfast for everyone, so..."

Haruka growled, deep and loud, before turning around and up the stairs, fuming all the way. She went right to her bedroom, and stopped dead on the doorway upon noticing the empty bed.

But then the sound of soft giggles reached her ears, and she frowned, curiously.

She made her way down the long hallway, and into the bedroom her guests were occupying, and took a peek inside. And her heart melt at the sight waiting for her there.

Hikari was sitting crossed leg on the bed, her green eyes looking out at the window, as a happy, content smile was playing on her lips. She was still wearing her light purple pajamas, and she was giggling and talking to the aquamarine haired young woman sitting right behind her, as Michiru was patiently brushing her soft blonde hair.

"When I grow up, I want to have your hair" the little girl announced.

Michiru giggled "Why? You have such pretty hair" she said, tiding a pink ribbon around the little girl's hair, in a high, one sided ponytail "It's so silky and shiny"

Hikari frowned "But yours is prettier!" she argued "And I get knots all the time, and it hurts..."

"There, all done" Michiru announced, and then she smiled when the girl turned around to look at her, a surprised expression on her cute, small features "What is it, sweetie?" she asked, as she saw Hikari slowly and hesitantly touching her hair.

"You didn't pull my hair" Hikari said, her green eyes wide open.

"Why would I?" the aquamarine haired woman asked.

"But... but Risa always pulled my hair when she was trying to get the knots out, and it hurt..." the girl said "Only my mommy knows how to do it without hurting me..."

"That's because I used to have long hair, just like you" came Haruka's deep, husky voice from the doorway, and Hikari turned around to smile up at her mother "And I used to get just as many knots as you do"

"Really?" the girl asked, curiously. But then she frowned "Does uncle Kunzite gets knots too?"

Michiru giggled at the question, and Haruka grinned "I don't know, princess, but why don't you go and pull his hair, just in case?"

Hikari jumped off the bed then, running all the way out the bedroom and down the hallway. Haruka laughed after her, and Michiru tilted her head.

"That was mean" she said, trying to fight down the amused smile that was tugging at her lips.

"That's what he gets for keeping me locked up here" the blonde said, still looking at the door. But then turned to look at the aquamarine haired woman, now standing close to her "That was impressive" she said, softly "She never lets anyone brush her hair"

The younger woman smiled at her "She asked me to"

They stood there, looking into each others eyes, until the tall blonde woman snapped out of her daze, and turned around to leave the room and let the aquamarine haired woman get out of her silky, dark blue, incredibly sexy night gown. But when she heard her softly calling out to her, she turned around, surprised at finding her right next to her again.

Michiru stood up in her tiptoes, and softly kissed the blonde's cheek.

"I like your hair" she said, before turning around and walking into her bathroom, leaving a blushing tall woman behind.


	14. Chapter 13

A bit more on Ruka's past....

* * *

**13**

Makoto was sitting on one of the resting chairs at the porch, enjoying her tea. An amused smile was playing on her lips, as she contemplated the scene in front of her dark green eyes.

Michiru was sitting on the grass, some distance away from the house, her eyes closed, as she listened to a concentrated Hotaru playing the violin. She sounded somewhat rusty, but considering she had learned that one song less than a week ago, it was pretty impressive.

Behind the aquamarine haired woman, an equally concentrated Hikari was braiding the young woman's hair -and probably messing it up, but the talented violinist didn't seem to mind.

"They're so cute" Minako said, smiling too, as she shook her hands, trying to get her newly polished nails dry "And Hotaru is such a fast learner!" she exclaimed, admiring the soft music the young girl was playing.

Makoto was about to say something back to her, when two men walking out of the house and taking a seat next to them, got her attention.

Kunzite was still looking somewhat amused after his long verbal fight with his sister, earlier that morning. Nephrite, on the other hand, was looking frustrated, and probably bored out of his mind too.

The brunette turned to the silvery haired man "What happened?" she asked, but when the young man simply stared at her, she rolled her eyes "To Haruka, what happened? I've been living with her for over three years now, and it turns out, I know nothing about her"

The silvery haired man shook his shoulders "Have you considered the idea that, maybe, there's a reason for that?"

"I know!" Makoto exclaimed "But I'm worried about her. I never knew about you, or your father being so hard on her" she said "I mean, I always thought Banken was her dad. I only lived with him for half a year before he past away. But he always acted like such a proud, loving grandpa..."

"A lot of things happened" Kunzite answered her, after a long pause "I didn't even know about Hikari until I got here. And my father was an asshole" he stated "One big son of a bitch. He hated Haruka. His own daughter, and he hated her" he let out a frustrated sigh, resting his elbows on his knees "Our mother died right after we were born, and he blamed her for that... and she was never the perfect little princess. She always liked sports, and hanged out with me and my friends, like another one of the guys. She hated skirts and..."

"She's still like that" Makoto interrupted him, smiling at the last comment.

"I know" Kunzite agreed, nodding his head, his eyes looking at his niece as she played with Michiru's hair "And I love the fact that she's still the same, that he didn't break her. He sent her to a hospital for over a week once, you know?" he looked back at the brunette teenage girl "He would always find a reason to beat her. Always. But one time there was this... incident with a friend of hers, and he found out about it..."

Makoto frowned at that "What? He found her making out with her?" she asked, and when Kunzite, Minako and Nephrite looked back at her surprised, she blinked, embarrassed "I thought you knew... I mean, she's gay, it's not a secret or anything..."

"No, of course I knew" Kunzite said, nodding his head "I just didn't know you..."

The brunette teenage girl smiled at him "Hey, I live with her, remember?"

Nephrite looked at them, but didn't say anything. He simply rested his back against his chair, willing to listen to the story. If he was stuck there, he wanted to know all the dirty little details. He needed to know; he didn't want any nasty surprise when and if they came face to face with Asuke.

Kunzite nodded his head to the brunette girl "Yeah, well... he found out about it, and beat her up pretty bad. I remember coming home and hearing all the yelling. I actually thought he was going to kill her..."

He closed his eyes, remembering that day. He could see it perfectly. He remembered entering the house, to find his father gone completely mad, belt in hand, crushing it against his sister's already bloody back.

He had tried to stopped him, only to get pushed over and knocked out. Literally.

By the time he finally came to his senses again, his father was long gone, and he could hear a soft, broken whimper somewhere near him. He had found Haruka curled up, laying on the floor, completely covered in blood. Crying and trembling, hugging herself. Face swell up, dried blood on her cheek. Breathing hard, her entire body aching at every intake.

But worst of all had been her back. He could still see the multiple marks over the white skin; dried blood all over. But there was red, hot liquid still running down her body from a nasty wound, where their father had actually managed to rip the skin completely apart.

He had tried to help her out, to get her to the bathroom and clean her wounds. But she had screamed out in pain, unable to stand up at all. So he had called an ambulance.

"She had two broken ribs" he said, his voice a hollowed whisper "She couldn't breath, let alone walk, and she had to rest on her stomach for a week because of the wounds in her back"

"Why didn't you report him?" his partner asked.

"We were kids, Neph" he answered "Barely fourteen. And about an hour after we got to the hospital, he came and made up this story about some mugs getting in the house... he was the adult, and I had my share of bruises too, so they all believed him"

"God..." Minako whispered, scandalized "What a monster..."

Kunzite looked at her for a moment, before looking back at the tall brunette girl "But things got better after that. Or so I thought" he said "She changed, and then she started dating the school's star boy, the soccer team's captain..."

"Asuke?" Nephrite asked, frowning, and interrupting him.

The silvery haired man nodded his head again "She would always dressed up for him, and followed him around all the time. My father seemed happy with that" he said, rubbing his eyes with one hand "And then, one day I woke up, and she wasn't there anymore..."

"I already told you I'm sorry about that" came Haruka's voice from behind them, and they all turned to the entry door to look at her. She had changed from her training outfit, and was now wearing a black sweatshirt, and her cargo pants.

A childish laughed got everyone's attention, and they all saw Hikari running up to them, and then grabbing Minako's hand.

"Tell us a story!" the girl begged, dragging her all the way to where Hotaru and Michiru where sitting on the grass, not really giving the young blonde woman a moment to answer anything at all.

"She's a great kid" Kunzite said, looking at the little blonde girl as she laughed and jumped around.

The blonde woman nodded her head, smiling proudly. She saw her daughter taking a seat right at Michiru's lap, as the aquamarine haired woman hugged the little girl in her arms, ticking her playfully, and earning happy, loud set of giggles from her.

And Haruka's smile softened at that. That woman was really something...

"Is that why you had such a bad pregnancy?" Makoto's voice got her attention again, making the tall woman turned back to them "Because of your father's beating?"

Haruka let out a sigh, taking a seat on the chair Minako had emptied

"Not really. I'm sure my father's kicks did they trick on me, but that wasn't it" she answered, her green eyes back on her daughter's form "I was weak when Banken found me, sleeping on a bench one night. I had anemia, and they found there was a problem with my pregnancy, so I had to lay in bed until she was born" she explained.

"You? In bed?" Kunzite asked, an eyebrow going up.

The blonde woman chuckled "Yeah" she said "Those were the worst five months of my life"

Nephrite frowned "Five months? Isn't is suppose to last nine?" he asked.

Haruka shook her shoulders "The first month an a half I didn't know I was pregnant" she said "And by the time I entered the second month, Banken found me"

"But that makes it seven" Kunzite said.

"Yeah, well, she made it a point on not wanting to be in my womb any longer" Haruka said, smiling, and pointing at her daughter with her head.

A sad smile came to her face then "I was terrified" she said, her voice almost a whisper "I didn't know the first thing about babies, and I wasn't even sure I wanted to be a mother..."

Makoto went to sit by her, taking her hand in a comforting manner. She now understood so much about her tall blonde friend...

And she stayed like that, holding her hand, as the blonde woman told her brother about the complications during labor. She told them about how one day she simply started bleeding, no contractions whatsoever, and how Banken had taken her to the hospital immediately.

And as she told them that, she thought she could hear the doctors and nurses around her all over again, saying the baby was in danger, saying she was in danger. Something about the baby being stuck...

"I didn't understand what was going on. All I knew was that I simply didn't care anymore. I wanted to give up" she said, her green eyes looking at a smiling Hikari, as she clapped her hands at the story Minako was telling her.

Haruka closed her eyes for a moment "I know I'm a terrible person for saying this, but I swear, at that moment, I didn't care..."

Kunzite knelt in front of her, taking her free hand in his "You were young and scared" he softly said "That doesn't make you a horrible person, Haru"

She looked at him, her green eyes watering now "You don't understand" she said "I didn't _care_. I didn't care if she made it or not. I didn't care if _I_ made it or not!" she exclaimed "I hated it! God, I hated it so much..." a single tear made it down her cheek, and she wiped it away. She looked back at her daughter "But then I saw her..." she whispered, smiling weakly now "You should have seen her, Kunz. She was this... tiny, crying, pink... ball"

Kunzite chuckled at the description, and Haruka smiled too. She could still remember that moment perfectly. That single moment in time, when she had seen her baby girl for the first time.

The sound of the loud cry, as the baby first faced the world, had scared her to death. And then the doctor had given the crying baby to a teenage girl that didn't even know how to hold her.

And Haruka fell immediately in love with the small, beautiful baby. Helplessly and completely.

"They put her on my chest, and she opened her eyes and looked at me, grabbing my finger with her tiny, little hands" she said "I swear, I think she recognized me, as if she knew who I was"

"Babies do that" Nephrite said "That's why they put them on their mother's chest when they're born. Something about hearing the heartbeat and their mother's scent, so they can recognize their mother" he explained. But when his partner looked at him arching an eyebrow, he shook his shoulders "What? My sister has three" he said "I learned a thing or two here..."

Makoto tilted her head to the side, frowning "Was that when she threw up on you?"


	15. Chapter 14

**14**

In the early afternoon, Michiru was sitting on the couch, a soft smile playing on her lips, as she nodded her head slightly. Her fingers taping softly against her own knee, as she listened to Hotaru playing the violin.

She was quite surprised at the black haired little girl, as she was learning quite fast how to work her small, slender fingers on the instrument.

The girl was standing right next to her, a concentrated frowned on her face, as she carefully but beautifully played the song Michiru had taught her.

A little blonde girl was sitting with them, right next to the grand piano. Her legs swinging in the air, as she listened to her friend's music, a wide smile on her pretty little face.

And when Hotaru's song ended, she clapped her hands excitedly "Play again, play another song!" she exclaimed, happily.

"I'm still learning, Kari" Hotaru said to her, smiling softly at the younger girl.

"Oh, I know!" the little blonde exclaimed, looking at Michiru now "You can teach her that sea song!"

Michiru frowned, surprised at the girl's comment "You mean 'Ocean's secret'?" she asked, referring to one of her own songs.

"Yeah, that one!" Hikari said, smiling "And then my mommy can teach me to play it too, so I can play with Hotaru!" she said, all excited.

"But, sweetie, you play the piano, not the violin" Michiru said, returning the smile.

"But my mommy plays it all the time" she said, frowning and pouting cutely.

And when she noticed the tall blonde woman coming from the kitchen, she ran to her and grabbed her hand, dragging her into the living room with them.

"Mom! Teach me that sea song!" she said, sitting in front of the piano, and dragging her mother down with her.

Michiru looked at the tall blonde woman "You play 'Ocean's secret' on the piano?" she asked "You wrote a counterpart?"

"Not really" Haruka answered, somewhat embarrassed "I just fool around a little..." she mumbled.

"Yes, you did" Hotaru said, smiling at her, and giving the violin back to its rightful owner "Here, play the song" she said to her "It sounds great with the piano. And I bet it sounds even better live!"

"Please, mom? Play with Michi!" Hikari begged, still pulling from her mother's hand.

Haruka looked at the aquamarine haired woman, and when she smiled at her, tilting her head and making her curls brush against her shoulders, the blonde woman let out a sigh and gave up.

"Ok" she said, looking at her daughter "But I'm gonna need my hand back"

The girl let go of her hand, and the tall blonde woman took a deep breath, before nodding her head to the aquamarine haired woman.

Michiru smiled, positioning the violin under her chin, and started playing. Her blue eyes studying the blonde, curiously. And then she wondered how she managed to keep on playing without skipping a note at all, as the tall blonde woman started playing the piano next to her.

It was perfect.

Only, perfect didn't even match it. Not even close. Because the way the sound of the piano complemented the soft whisper of her violin was simply amazing.

She had never really considered making a duet out of any of her songs. But listening to the soft song coming from the piano, she could easily imagine just how magnificent it would be to always play like this...

When the song came to a soft, fading end, she looked at the tall blonde woman, locking eyes with her. _God, she's so perfect_, she thought to herself.

"That was great!" Hotaru's voice got their attention back to reality, and Haruka cleared her throat, blushing slightly.

"That was..." Michiru tried to put into words her amazement "When did you...? I mean, how..."

"We listen to your music all the time" Hotaru provided as an explanation, smiling at the aquamarine haired woman "And you always sound so great, I wanted to be just like you!" she exclaimed.

Michiru smiled warmly at her, and then looked at the tall, still blushing blonde woman.

"Mom, can you adopt her?" Hikari asked, looking up to her mother, and pointing at the violinist.

Haruka chuckled "No, baby, I can't do that"

The girl pouted "Yes, you can!" she insisted "You did it with Hotaru"

Michiru smiled, and knelt down to look into the little girl's green eyes "I'm too old for your mom to adopt me, sweetie" she explained, her eyes flickering to the tall blonde's.

"Oh" the girl said, looking sad. But then she looked up at her mother again "Can we keep her, then?"

"You can't 'keep' people, Kari" Hotaru said, giggling at the smaller girl's question.

"Why not?" she asked again, now looking at Michiru "I like you" she declared, pouting.

The front door got open then, and in walked Makoto and Minako, both girls with bags in their hands, carrying their groceries inside.

A frowning, annoyed looking Nephrite walked in right after them.

"Ok, we brought ice cream!" Minako exclaimed, smiling at the girls "Who wants some?" she asked, and then she giggled as both girls jumped up, excited.

Michiru went to help them with the groceries, earning a grateful smile from her friend. She took one last look at the blonde still siting on the piano, before she disappeared down the hallway, and into the kitchen.

Hikari and Hotaru went running right after her, leaving one blonde woman sitting on the piano. But then Hikari came running back, throwing herself at her mother's neck and hugging her, sitting on her lap.

"I know!" she exclaimed into her mother's chest, looking up at her "I'll ask her if she wants to be my mommy too!"

Haruka blushed at that one.

"No, princess, you can't ask her that" she said, looking at the little girl's frowning face, and trying to find the right words to explain to her why she couldn't ask such a thing.

But when the explanations that came to her mind were nowhere near child-permitted, she let out a sigh, blushing lightly at her own thoughts "We can't keep her, Kari. She has a life to go back to"

"But I like her" the girl said, pouting.

"I know you do, baby, I know" she said, brushing her soft blonde bangs out of her eyes. _I like her too, princess_, she added, mentally.

"Maybe we can make her stay" Hikari ventured, tilting her head and deep in thought. She looked up to her mother and kissed her on the cheek, smiling "I love you, mommy"

Haruka smiled warmly at her "I love you too, princess" she said, kissing her forehead "All the way up to the sky, and all the way back..."

"Over and over again!" the girl finished for her, giggling.


	16. Chapter 15

**15**

The tall blonde woman got out of the shower, and wrapped a towel around her body, making her way to her wardrobe, without even bothering turning the lights on; the moonlight coming from her open balcony doors illuminating the spacious bedroom.

She put on some clean underwear, and decided she didn't feel like putting on her pajamas. It was late in the night already, but the heat was still strong, so she opted for a comfy, long black sweatshirt instead.

She had just threw it on, and took the towel back to dry her hair, when her bedroom door opened suddenly, and in walked one aquamarine haired woman, already dressed in her night gown.

Michiru closed the door behind her, resting her back against it, and looked up at the tall, frowning woman standing in the middle of the room.

"You said we'd talk today" she started, as a way of an explanation as to why she was there "But it was kind of a busy day, so..."

Haruka looked at her, and then let out a sigh "Michiru, it's late..."

"I know" she said, interrupting her "Everyone's already asleep, so we can talk now"

"I already told you..."

"You said we could talk" Michiru insisted, interrupting again "Can't we try? Are you trying to protect the girls, or you're just not interested?" she asked "Because if that's the case, then just tell me..."

"It's not that" Haruka said, looking directly at her big blue eyes "You're a beautiful woman, Michiru. But you said it yourself, you're not sure..."

"I said I was confused" she interrupted her, yet again "But I know what I want now" she said, walking up to the tall blonde woman. She stopped inches away from her, cupping the blonde's face with her hands, and kissing her softly on the lips.

Haruka put her hands on the girl's hips, in an attempt to stopped her and distance herself from her, but when she felt a set of arms encircling around her neck, she couldn't help but deepened the kiss. Her own hands going around the aquamarine haired woman's waist, pressing that perfect body against her own.

She tasted so sweet, and her body was so perfectly warm.

She wanted her, deeply. Madly.

But she didn't want to scare her away. She needed her to be sure... So she broke up the kiss, and looked down on her.

"Michiru..." she started, but the girl interrupted her, kissing her softly again.

Michiru took one single step away, and looked at her, a shy blush on her cheeks, as she reached the hem of her night gown, pulling it off, exposing her soft, round breasts, and her white laced underwear.

Green eyes traveled down her body, and her blushed deepened, but she stepped closed to the tall blonde again. Her arms encircling again around her neck, her lips meeting Haruka's in a soft, loving kiss.

"Make love to me, Ruka" she begged, whispering against the blonde's mouth.

And Haruka couldn't take it anymore. She kissed her then, hard and deep, her hands traveling through her bare back. She could feel the violinist's hands playing with her hair, softly caressing the back of her neck. She trailed her fingers along the girl's spine, and felt her shiver, arching her back and pressing her soft, naked body against hers.

Michiru could feel her skin burning after the blonde's touches, and she let out a soft moan when Haruka's mouth found its way down her throat.

She stood in her tiptoes, pressing herself against the blonde, hanging from her neck and tilting her head to the side, accepting the administrations, as the blonde trailed soft, wet kisses along her neck. She shivered lightly, one hand shyly making its way under Haruka's sweatshirt, gently caressing the warm skin.

She found herself being pressed against a wall, and she lifted her leg, tangling it around Haruka's, trapping the blonde and bringing her closer. And she started moaning softly against the blonde's mouth when she felt her pressing their hips together, rocking slowly and steadily.

A set of hands went to her breasts, massaging them gently, seductively. And when Haruka's mouth found her breast, her tongue making small circles around her nipple, teasing her, to then finally close her mouth around it, sucking lightly, Michiru arched her back and let out a gasp, a strong throbbing growing between her legs.

She finally got tired of the restriction the blonde's sweatshirt represented, and she grabbed the hem, jerking up, needing to feel her skin against hers.

Haruka accepted the movement, lifting her arms just enough for the material to slid off her body. They locked gazes, the growing desire flickering in their eyes, and Michiru smiled softly when she heard the blonde gasping slightly when her hands found her soft, full breasts. But when she felt a hand caressing her womanhood through her underwear and she moaned softly, it was Haruka's turn to smile. Seductively, secretly.

Haruka gently guided her to the bed, positioning herself over her, kissing her long, white neck, and then going down, to her creamy, soft, full breasts. Her hand teasing the aquamarine haired woman, and making her whimper softly. Her fingers feeling the hot, warm desire growing inside the aquamarine haired woman.

She went back to the violinist's mouth, kissing her deeply, as her hand wondered to her soft, flat stomach, making soft small circles with the tip of her fingers all around her navel.

Michiru grabbed her hand then, guiding it back between her legs and inside her underwear, where she needed her, lifting her hips slightly.

"Please..." she pleaded, in a whisper, when she felt the blonde's hesitation.

At the sensual, pleading tone, Haruka gave in, slowly sliding a finger inside her. The soft, long moan that reached her ears encouraged her to go deeper, and she started thrusting slowly, soon adding a second finger, as Michiru started moving her hips against her.

Her soft cries, along with the feel of her round breasts brushing against hers, and the hot, delicious wetness around her fingers were driving Haruka mad with desire, but she kept her pace, slowly and gently building her up.

She captured one hard nipple with her mouth, sucking and licking it, her fingers rhythmically thrusting inside Michiru, until she felt her walls closing around her. She looked up at her then, admiring her face as Michiru reached her climax. Eyes closed, soft, deep, desperate moans escaping her lips.

And then she opened her eyes, blue meeting green, in a satisfied, surprised expression in her blushed face.

"Oh my God..." she breathed, and then she started giggling.

Haruka chuckled at her "Are you alright?"

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed, cupping the blonde's face with her hands "That was... that was amazing!" she giggled again.

The blonde frowned at her, somewhat amused "You never had an orgasm before?" she asked "No wonder you never liked sex..." she joked. And then she gasped, closing her eyes briefly, as she felt Michiru's hand caressing her through her underwear. She looked down on her, surprised at the bold move.

Michiru simply smiled at her, kissing her lips softly "I want you to feel the same" she whispered to her, sliding her underwear down the blonde's long legs.

Haruka kissed her again, helping the aquamarine haired beauty take her underwear off, and then making Michiru's aside as well. She let out a deep, husky moan when Michiru wasted no time entering her, finding her already wet, two fingers easily sliding in.

She moved against those fingers thrusting inside her, her own fingers teasing Michiru again, as she took her mouth again, tongues dancing furiously together.

When she started trembling, feeling herself getting closer to her own release, she braced herself, both hands against the sheets to try to steady her own body against the delicious, pleasurable tremblings running through her entire being. She felt Michiru's mouth sucking on her neck, as she finally let out a deep moan, reaching her climax.

She collapsed into Michiru's body, shaking slightly, and the aquamarine haired woman rolled them around, now on top of her, and started kissing her neck.

Taking advantage of the blonde's still out of breath state, she let her mouth wonder down, taking Haruka's breast in her mouth. She tasted the hard nipple, licking it and sucking it softly, before going to the other breast, giving it the same treatment.

But a hand on her neck made her go back up, as she felt two fingers going inside her again, and she moaned into Haruka's mouth, soon following her example.

They moved together, pleasuring each other, filling the night with soft moans, as they explored each others bodies. Kisses being showered everywhere, tongues dancing in a sensual way, trying to satisfied their burning desire, the moon shining down on two naked bodies through the window.


	17. Chapter 16

**16**

It was still early in the morning when she woke up to the feel of a steady breathing caressing her neck, as the sweet scent of Michiru's hair reached her nose.

She was laying on her side, facing the naked beauty curled right next to her, one arm under her pillow, the other around the aquamarine haired woman's slender waist, their legs tangled together.

Memories from the night before came to her mind, as she felt the younger woman slowly nuzzling her nose against her neck, softly pressing her body against hers, to then start to gently kiss her jaw line from her position.

And the blonde woman smiled lazily, enjoying Michiru's sweet ministrations.

She felt her moving against the mattress, closer and over her, kissing her neck and her shoulders all the while. Her soft, full breasts now brushing against her back, and the feel of her nipples against her made her shiver.

And then she felt the aquamarine haired woman's lips kissing their way down her back, stopping briefly at her ribcage. Soft fingertips trailing the path of the white, big scar she knew was there. A scar the size of an apple, with three big zigzag lines around it.

And the blonde woman just stayed still, laying there, allowing the younger woman to trace down the scars on her back, as Michiru softly and gently kissed each and every one of them.

Smaller, almost invisible scars were close to the big, nasty one, and if Michiru looked close enough, and hard enough, she could see the faded lines crossing the blonde's back in an intricate pattern.

"God, what did he do to you?" Michiru whispered, her hand still caressing the soft, long ago wounded skin.

"Not a pretty sight, huh?" Haruka asked, appealing to her best black humor, not moving from her position, laying on stomach, with the aquamarine haired woman pressed over her.

She felt Michiru's lips on her scar again, and she shut her eyes.

She's always been self conscious of her back, knowing the marks of ripped skin on her ribcage was everything but pretty. It was the one and only nasty scar, all the other ones already faded and almost invisible to the eye -though she knew Michiru had already found those as well.

And upon seeing them, people tended to ask all kinds of questions.

Questions she didn't want to answer... of a past she didn't want to remember...

But Michiru knew already. Or at least parts of it. And Haruka felt the strange need to tell her everything.

"I'm a fast healer, and they sewed me up pretty nicely" the blonde woman said, referring to her smaller, faded scars "But my father managed to ripped my skin apart a couple of times with the clasp of his belt..."

A gasp escaped Michiru's lips, and she covered her mouth with her hand, horrified at the blonde's words. And she felt so angry all of a sudden, she wanted to return the favor to the damn man!

"So, I got to keep the souvenir" the blonde finished, rolling around to rest on her side again, her hand supporting her head as she looked at the woman next to her.

And the intense look on those blue eyes, so full of concerned and worry and pain, and something else, was so strong, that she looked away for a moment.

Because, for a moment, she felt incredibly vulnerable in front of that woman, and it all became too much for her.

"Oh, Ruka..." Michiru whispered, holding her close, nuzzling her face on the blonde's neck.

Haruka returned the embrace "It's ok" she said "It was years ago"

Michiru looked up at her, resting on her side to, facing her, and frowning. One hand cupping Haruka's cheek "But you still dream about it" she said "It's still hurting you..."

The blonde frowned at that. Not because Michiru's words surprised her, but because a sudden realization hit her then.

She jerked up from the bed, supporting herself with one hand against the mattress, the other one on her chest, covering her nakedness with the sheets. Her green eyes searching blue ones.

"What is it?" Michiru asked, noticing the change in the blonde's attitude "Ruka, what's wrong?"

"I'm... I'm ok" she answered, still frowning. But when Michiru looked at her, sitting up and curling next to her, hugging her close, she smiled, reassuringly "I'm fine, really"

And she actually meant that.

Because, for the first time in years, she had slept trough the entire night.

Well, not exactly the _entire_ night, considering she had spent the majority of it making love to the now naked beauty next to her. But the amount of time she had actually slept, she had done exactly that. For the first time in six years, she had spent a night without the ghosts from her past coming to hunt her down.

_What is it about her?_, the blonde wondered, looking into the depths of those big blue eyes. _What is it that makes me feel like this?_ She held her close then, enjoying the feeling of the warm naked skin against hers. It felt so good. So right...

"Michiru... we... we need to talk" Haruka started "About this, about..."

Michiru kissed her, not letting her finish her sentence. And then she looked at her, cupping the blonde's face with her hands "I know we didn't exactly... talk... last night" she said, blushing "And I know it's not exactly ideal, considering... well, everything, actually. But, can we... not talk right now?"

"But what about..."

The aquamarine haired woman put a finger on the blonde's lips "I know we need to talk, you're right, but... Please, just... I don't want to have to think about consequences or possibilities... I just want to be with you" she pleaded.

Haruka let out a sigh, and looked into deep blue eyes. Her hand mindlessly playing with one aquamarine curl.

"I'd like that" she finally said, her hand now caressing the other woman's cheek "But the time is so wrong..."

"I know" she whispered, tilting her head towards Haruka's hand.

The blonde smiled softly at that. But a frowned soon came to her face "Everything's so messed up right now. And I hate you being caught up in the middle of it all"

The aquamarine haired woman took the blonde's hand in hers, kissing it softly "Can we just... face one problem at a time?" she asked, looking up at her.

Green eyes looked at her for a moment, in silence, before she tilted her head to the side, looking at big blue eyes "So you're saying we should just... wait and see?"

Michiru moved closer, softly brushing her nose against Haruka's. Their breaths caressing each others faces "I know you have a lot in your mind right now, and I don't want to be another problem for you to fix" she said "I'm here, now. And we're both pretty mush stuck here..."

The blonde rolled her eyes "Don't remind me about that..." she said.

"I like you, Ruka" Michiru continued "And I like this" she said, now holding her, pressing her naked body against hers.

And the look on those blue eyes was so transparent, so sincere, that Haruka let out a sigh, her hand cupping her cheek, mindlessly caressing the other woman's lips with her thumb.

And looking into Michiru's eyes, Haruka wonder if she could do what the younger woman was asking of her...

She had spent the last few years planning every step, considering all the possibilities, all the consequences. Always on safe ground. And Michiru was asking her to jump with her, not knowing what could wait for them. Just let it be. No plans, no path to follow. Simply let their passion guide them, and see where they landed.

There where too many questions they needed to ask each other. Too many things they still didn't know about the other. But the look on those eyes made Haruka realized she didn't' want to ask questions.

Not right now. Not yet.

For the first time in her life, she wanted to take the chance, and just jump. With Michiru by her side.


	18. Chapter 17

**17**

Haruka walked out of the shower, and went to her wardrobe. She put on some loosen, worn out jeans, and a red t-shirt, and then she combed her wet hair with her hands, checking herself in the mirror.

She smiled to herself.

She couldn't help but smile.

Less than an hour ago, she had made love to Michiru one last time, with the morning sun bathing over them, as they moved together, slowly, tenderly. And then they had simply laid there, holding each other close.

The sound of the house slowly waking up to the morning, had finally made Michiru decide it was time for her to go back to her own bedroom.

So the blonde had regrettably let her -not without kissing her deeply-, knowing they were still on unsteady ground towards each other to let the girls -or anyone else, for that matter- find them together.

The tall blonde woman made her way downstairs, and into the kitchen, to find Makoto over the counter, making pancakes for everyone's breakfast.

Hotaru was already sitting on the table, still wearing her light blue pajamas, vaguely drinking her milk, with a sleepy expression on her face.

Minako was sitting right next to her, a tea cup in one hand, looking at the young girl, amused at her tired, robotic actions.

Nephrite was sitting across from them, drinking his coffee and studying some papers he had in front of him. Haruka nodded her head to him, and kissed Hotaru's forehead, as the girl smiled up to her.

"Breakfast's almost ready" Makoto informed her, not looking up at her, concentrated on her cooking.

Haruka poured herself a cup of coffee, and was about to lean against the counter, when a soft meow got her attention. She looked at the sliding doors that leaded to the backyard, and there she saw a small black and white cat.

"He's back!" Hotaru exclaimed, looking at the cat too.

She jumped off her chair, smiling, and Haruka handed her a bowl for her to put some milk on. The girl hugged her, before getting outside to feed the cat, at the same time that a wide awake, jumping Hikari, still on her pajamas, came running into the kitchen, closely followed by an amused Michiru and a frowning Kunzite.

The little blonde jumped up to her mother, smiling.

"Good morning!" she exclaimed, encircling her arms around the tall blonde's neck "Can we go to the parade today?" she asked, excited "You promised we could go this year!"

Haruka looked at her brother, but before she could answer anything, Nephrite answered, more to the tall blonde woman than to the little girl "Too many people"

"It's a parade" Makoto said, turning around and looking at the brown haired man "Of course there's people!"

"And it's fun!" the little girl exclaimed, now jumping back to the floor, and to her frowning uncle "You wanna come too?" she asked him, taking his hand in her small ones.

He looked at his partner then. And Nephrite raised an eyebrow at him "Don't even think about it" he warned.

The silvery haired man looked at his niece, kneeling down "Not today" he said to her "Maybe tomorrow, ok?"

The girl frowned a moment, but then she smiled happily at him "Ok!" she exclaimed, and then she ran outside to Hotaru, where the black haired girl was petting the little cat.

Haruka looked at her brother "Be careful with what you promise" she said.

"What do you want me to say to her?" he asked, taking a seat by the table and looking tired all of a sudden.

"How about yes?" Haruka ventured, smiling sarcastically at him.

She walked up to the table, sitting right across from the silvery haired man, and looking directly into his teal eyes "You don't know for sure he's here at all, but yet you want to keep us all locked up here, for what?"

"It's called protection" Nephrite answered for his partner.

The blonde woman glared at him "It's ridiculous" she said "If he truly wants to find me, he will, with or without you here"

Nephrite growled at her, at she had to take a deep breath not strangle him.

Michiru came to the table, sitting next to the tall blonde, and handing her the forgotten coffee cup she had left on the counter.

Sensing the blonde's nerves about to explode, she put a comforting hand in her arm, looking into her green eyes for a moment. A small, soft smile she couldn't hide, briefly playing on her lips.

"Maybe you can come up with something?" she said, in the most friendly, cordial tone of voice she could master, looking at the men in front of her.

"Look, I get it, ok?" Haruka said, before neither one of the men could say anything "The parade and all those parties, too many people, too many chances of us getting separated. I get it. But I can't put everything on hold here" she said, hands up in the air, signaling the house in general "I need the electrician to come back and finish his job, the pipelines don't work on the third floor, and I need paint!"

"We can get the paint for you" Kunzite said "But you're not letting any stranger into this house until I say so"

"And what about us getting out?" Makoto asked, as she put on the table a plate with the pancakes "We need to go to town tomorrow" she said, looking at the tall blonde, who nodded her head at her.

Nephrite frowned "Forget it" he said "You don't _have_ to do anything, except being safe here"

Haruka looked at him, turning to the side, a finger pointing at the smiling black haired girl outside "See that little girl there?" she asked "She looks fine now, and she is getting better. But I'm not risking the chance of her having another episode just because you don't feel like being a nice, responsible man"

"I am being responsible here!" Nephrite exclaimed "I'm trying to keep you all safe!"

"I'm the one responsible for her" she said to him "You do your job, and let me do mine. She has a doctor appointment tomorrow, and she's going. End of discussion"

With that said, she stood up and went outside, kneeling next to the giggling girls as they fed and pet the little cat.

Nephrite followed her with his eyes, frowning.

"She has some health problems" Makoto said to him, noticing his expression "Lung damage. We have to take her to the doctor tomorrow. She needs her medicine, and they need to run some tests..."

"We'll figure something out" Kunzite assured her, interrupting her. But when his partner frowned at him, he let out a sigh "Look man, she told me about the girl's problems, ok? And trust me, we don't want a sick girl to add to our problems right now"

"She doesn't look that sick to me" he argued.

"Are you familiar with asthma?" Makoto asked him. When he nodded, she nodded too "It's kinda like that. Imagine an asthmatic person having an episode in the middle of the night. What do you do then?"

"You call an ambulance" Minako provide, before any of them could answer anything "You have to let them take her to that doctor's appointment" she looked at Kunzite, knowing he was the soft one, considering it was his family on the line here "I'm sure one of you can go with them, and the rest of us could stay here with Hikari..."

Nephrite was about to say something, but Kunzite lifted his hand to silence him "We'll figure something" he simply said.

Outside, Haruka and Hotaru were sitting on the grass, as they both watch a happy little blonde girl playing around with the now happy, bouncing cat.

The black haired girl turned around and looked inside, at the men still sitting and talking on the table, and then she looked up at her guardian.

"Are we in trouble?" she asked her, a worried expression on her pretty face.

The blonde woman looked at her, frowning. But then she shook her head, smiling warmly "Of course not" she answered her "Why would you ask something like that?"

Hotaru looked back inside "Because they won't let us go out" she said, now frowning herself "They don't seem like bad people... but they want us here" she looked back at the blonde woman "So I just thought..."

Haruka smiled at her, an arm going trough the girl's shoulders, hugging her close "Don't you worry about it, ok? They're just doing their job, making sure the bad guys stay away from us"

"But you don't seem too happy about it..."

Haruka chuckled then "You're too smart for your own good, kiddo"


	19. Chapter 18

**18**

Minako and Michiru were both sitting on the resting chairs at the porch, drinking tea and keeping an eye on two little girls, as they laid on the grass, papers and crayons all around them, not that far away from the older women.

They could hear the girls laughter as they draw, and they seemed to be enjoying their little activity. Makoto was probably already making lunch, and they knew Haruka was somewhere inside the house, either working on one of the rooms, or having another verbal fight with her brother.

Nephrite had gone to town an hour ago, to do some investigation, and to talk with the local authorities to see if there was any new lead on Asuke's whereabouts.

The blonde woman looked at her friend, as Michiru took a sip from her tea, silently, with a stupid, happy smile on her lips.

A smile that, Minako noticed, hadn't left her friend's face all morning.

"Ok, what's up with you?" she asked her, getting the aquamarine haired woman's attention.

"Huh?" was all the answer she got from her now frowning friend, as confused, blue eyes looked back at her "What do you mean?"

Minako rolled her eyes "You're up to something, and I wanna know what it is"

Michiru blushed slightly, still frowning "I don't know what you mean..."

"Oh, come on!" Minako exclaimed "You've been smiling like a school girl all morning, and now your blushing!" she pointed out "So, give!" she got closer to her friend, looking directly at her eyes, one blond eyebrow raising up "Is this about your crush on a certain car racer?"

The aquamarine haired woman's cheeks got redder, and Minako's baby blue eyes got wide open "It is?" she asked, incredulously. And then she frowned, tilting her head to one side "Why do I get the feeling I missed something here?"

"Because you did" Michiru mumbled in a low whisper.

But Minako heard her, and her surprised expression made the aquamarine haired woman blush even more "Holly crap, Michiru!" she exclaimed "When did you become... you know...?"

Michiru rolled her eyes at her, growling "Is it really that important?"

"Oh, I'm sorry! I just discovered my best friend has a huge crush on another woman, and considering she's been smiling like an idiot all morning, she's probably hiding something from me" she elaborated "So, yes, I think it's quite important!"

"Keep your voice down!" Michiru scolded her.

"Did something happen here?" she asked. And when her friend turned into a true tomato, lowering her gaze, her own blue eyes got wider "Holly shit!" she exclaimed "Really?"

"Sometimes I really hate your sense of perception" Michiru mumbled, a hand nervously playing with her curls.

An excited, happy yell got their attention back to the girls, and they saw Hikari jumping up, tickling her black haired friend, as they both rolled around on the green grass.

Minako looked back at her friend, frowning now "Can I ask what you're doing here?" she asked, getting her attention back to herself "I mean, are you serious about this? You do realized it's complicated, right? She has a daughter, and Hotaru. And we're here for another week, two tops..."

"God, you sound like her..."

"Well, maybe because we're the reasonable ones here!" she exclaimed. And then she frowned "And I'm never reasonable!" she added

Michiru looked at her friend, frowning. But when the blonde kept on looking at her, waiting for an answer, she let out a frustrated sigh.

"I don't know, alright?" she finally answered "I know it's complicated, and I know she has a daughter, and I know now is probably the worst time possible to start anything at all..."

"But?" Minako asked, interrupting her "I thought it was just a stupid, obsessive little crush, and that you got over it the moment we found out he was a she" she said.

"Well, it's not" the aquamarine haired woman said, now looking at her hands, resting on her lap.

"So you _are_ serious about this" Minako said, more like a statement than a question. And then she smiled "Hey, not that I blame you, she's hot!" she joked.

"Oh, shut up!" Michiru said, chuckling at her friend's comment.

"Well, she _is_!" the blonde defended herself, still smiling "Not that I'm into girls... but I can see _that_ much!"

"Michiru, Minako, look!" Hikari's excited voice got their attention, and both women looked up in time to see the little blonde girl running up to them.

She stopped right in front of them, a big smile on her face, as she showed them her drawing. It was a childish picture of the house, with a smiling sun on a cloudless sky, and people standing right next to it.

"This is uncle Kunzite, and Hotaru, and Makoto, and Nephrite" she said, pointing at the people she had drawn "This is you" she said, looking at Minako "And this is my mommy, and me, and this is you" she said, looking at Michiru now, and pointing at a smiling girl she had drawn, right next to her mother.

Minako eyed at her friend, smiling "Seems I'm not the only one with a sense of perception here" she said, but before Michiru could say anything at all, she looked back at the smiling little blonde girl "You even got the hair color right!"

"Yeah!" the girl exclaimed, happily. And then she frowned "Hotaru helped me" she confessed, looking a little embarrassed.

"We had to mix the colors a little" came Hotaru's soft voice from behind the blonde girl "But I think it turned out right, don't you think, Kari?"

"Yes!" the girl agreed, smiling again "I'm gonna show it to my mommy!" she exclaimed, running to the door. But then she seemed to remember something, and ran back to the aquamarine haired woman, hugging her "I like you better than Risa!" she informed, a big, happy smile on her face.

"Hikari!" came Makoto's voice from the door, getting everyone's attention.

"What?" the girl asked, frowning, confused and not understanding why she was being scold.

Makoto shook her head, smiling at her "Go and get your mother" she said to her "Lunch's ready".

The little blonde nodded her head, smiling again, and went running inside the house, followed closely by an amused Hotaru.

Minako turned to her friend, smiling mockingly at her, before turning around and looking at the tall brunette girl.

"Who's Risa?" she asked, already guessing the answer.

"Oh, she's... an old friend" Makoto answered, nervously.

"A friend? Or Haruka's ex?" the blonde asked, boldly.

"Minako!" Michiru scolded her, unable to stop her cheeks from burning red. She looked up at the brunette teenager, an apologetic look on her face "I'm sorry...."

Makoto smiled at her "It's ok, I forgot you guys know already..." she assured her "I'm surprised she's mentioning Risa at all" she then added, frowning.

"What do you mean?" Michiru asked, intrigued now.

"Well... the whole break up thing was kinda hard on Hikari" she said, still frowning "I mean, one day she has two mommies, and the next one, poof! Risa's all gone... She's a kid, it's not like you can tell her about relationships and expect her to understand, right?" she shook her shoulders at that, but then she smiled "Anyway, lunch's ready!"

"We'll be right up" Minako said, smiling at her.

And when the brunette went back inside, she turned back to look at her aquamarine haired friend "That just proves my point" she said to her, an accusing finger pointing at her "She's already attached to you, imagine if she founds out you're fooling around with her mother!"

"I know, I know, keep you voice down, will you!" Michiru said, letting out a sigh.

"Just... think very carefully what you're doing, ok?" Minako said, standing up "If that woman makes you happy, then go for it. But if you're just fooling around..." she looked down at her friend, and the expression on her face made her shut up "Just, be careful, ok? There's a lot at stake here, and I really don't want a second Masaya here..."

"She's nothing like him" she argued, looking up at her friend.

"I know that" the blonde said "But you were a mess afterward. I don't want to see you like that again"

Michiru lowered her gaze, frowning. She felt her friend's arms around her, giving her a hug, and she returned the gesture, before letting her friend get inside the house.

But she stood there, looking at the woods around her.

She knew Minako was right. And so was Haruka. There was more at stake here than just their feelings. And the timing was wrong, and she had a life to go back to once all that mess was over with.

She frowned.

Did she really want to go back to that life? Sure, she loved her career as a musician. But she could still do that from here. And she had college to go back to. And her normal, every day life on the city.

Did she really want to give that up and stay here? What if it was just a crush? A physical attraction? What if it all lead them nowhere? It could all be nothing but a summer fling.

Flashes of the night before came running to her mind, and she blushed at the memories, as she felt her heart jumping inside her.

_But what if it's not?_, she asked herself. It was too soon to make any decision at all, but she couldn't help herself. _It feels so right..._


	20. Chapter 19

**19**

"So they don't know anything?" Kunzite asked, frowning. A hand rubbing his chin, deep in thought.

It was already getting dark, and he was standing on the living room, looking out the window.

His partner was sitting on the couch near the window, looking as worried as the silvery haired man.

"With this whole festival thing, they can't be sure" Nephrite said, frowning too "And it's the perfect opportunity for him to walk around unnoticed"

Kunzite nodded his head, and let out a frustrated sigh "I found a new set of foot prints today" he informed his partner, turning around and looking at him "Right outside Haruka's balcony doors"

The brown haired man frowned at that "He's waiting for something... for the right moment..." he stood up, and walked up to the window. Hands deep in his pockets, a frown on his handsome face "The best way to get to her, is by using either Hikari or Hotaru. So what is he waiting for?"

"He's studying her" Kunzite said "Us. All of us"

Nephrite nodded his head in agreement "Placing them somewhere in town is just as risky as keeping them all here" he murmured "We need him to make a move. A bad move" he then said, his attention getting caught by the laughter that reached their ears, coming from somewhere upstairs "We need a bait"

Kunzite nodded his head, in agreement, but still worried. He knew his partner was right. They needed to use them as bait, in order to force Asuke to make a move.

And he also knew Haruka would kill him for that.

But they had no other choice, or they could wait forever...

...

"Come on, time to go to bed" Michiru said, standing right next to two giggling little girls. Hands on her hips, faking an angry face, tapping her foot on the floor.

"But I am in bed!" Hotaru exclaimed, covering herself with the sheets.

"I meant your own bed" the aquamarine haired woman insisted, but couldn't help the smile that came to her face when she heard a happy laughter coming from the little ball under the sheets.

Hikari was hiding in there, completely covered by the navy blue sheets.

"Minako promised a story!" Hotaru said, pouting, and still not moving from her spot on the king size bed.

"And I will tell you a story, once you're both on you own bedroom" the blonde said, arms crossed over her chest "You have to meet your end of the bargain"

"Don't wanna!" came Hikari's muffled voice.

"What's going on here?" came an amused, husky voice from the bedroom door.

Minako and Michiru both turned around to see the tall car racer there, leaning against the door frame, hands deep in her pockets. An amused smile came to her lips as she saw the little ball inside her bed standing up, fighting the sheets down for a moment, before her daughter's smiling green eyes looked back at hers.

But then Hikari went down on the bed again, sheets covering her small frame, as they all heard a happy, childish laughter.

Hotaru, on the other hand, was now sitting on the bed, looking back at her guardian with big, innocent violet eyes.

But her mischievous smile betrayed her, and she couldn't fight back her giggles.

"I think you have a little invasion on your hands" Minako said to the smiling car racer.

"I see" she said, walking up to the bed now "There's only one weapon known to mankind that works against these invaders" she announced, as she took a seat on the bed, right next to the small human ball hiding in there.

Haruka winked at Hotaru, putting a finger on her lips, signaling her to be quite.

And the black haired girl's eyes went wide open, and she covered her mouth with both hands, trying to hide her laughter. The tall blonde's smile widen, as she sneaked a hand underneath the sheets, easily finding one small, extremely sensitive foot, and tickling it mercilessly.

The small ball jumped up from under the sheets at the movement, squealing desperately, and looking for shelter on Michiru's arms.

But then she looked at her smiling mother, and frowned, crossing her arms over her chest as she stood up on the bed.

"No tickling!" she complained. And when everyone laughed at her, she pouted "That's not fair!" she said, now bending down, and covering her feet with her hands "I don't like it" she said, still frowning at her smiling mother.

"Why not?" Michiru asked the small girl, who was now sitting on the bed again, and still covering her feet with both hands.

"It tickles!" she whined.

"But that's the whole point!" Hotaru exclaimed, giggling.

Hikari raised her nose up in the air in a brave manner, arms crossed over her chest. But when everyone kept on laughing at her, she frowned again, pouting cutely at the tall blonde woman.

Haruka tilted her head, smiling at her, and winked.

And that was all the small blonde girl needed to forget all about being mad at her mother for tickling her, before throwing herself at her, giggling again.

"Ok, little earthquakes" Haruka said to the girls, tapping her daughter's behind tenderly "It's bed time" she said, eying her daughter as the small girl backed away, sitting down over the pillows, knees bent up, and smiling mischievously.

"But we want a story!" Hotaru exclaimed, jumping on the bed, and taking Minako's hand, dragging her down on the bed with her.

The blonde landed ungracefully over the sheets, but before she could crash on top of Hotaru, the small girl jumped up to a surprised Michiru, dragging her down as well.

The aquamarine haired beauty landed on Haruka's lap, and blushed deeply as she felt the car racer's hands catching her.

Hikari laughed happily, and Hotaru smiled satisfied, laying on her back and resting her head against the soft pillow that represented Michiru's stomach before the young woman could move at all from her position.

"Good thing you have a big bed" came Makoto's amused voice from the door, getting everyone's attention.

The tall brunette teenage girl was smiling at them, quite amused at the pretty picture they all made on that bed, all over each other.

"You wanna hear a story too?" Hikari asked, excited.

Makoto looked at the car racer, and Haruka smiled at her.

"Sure, jump in" the blonde said, getting comfortable against the pillows, letting her daughter play with her short blonde hair, and enjoying the feeling of Michiru's head resting on her lap.

The brunette smiled then, walking to the bed at taking a spot next to the now sitting Minako "Are there any dragons on this story?" she asked, looking at the young blonde woman next to her "I always like those!" she exclaimed "Or maybe pirates!"

"Both!" Hikari exclaimed, clapping her hands excitedly.

Minako frowned, looking up at the ceiling for a moment, before a bright smile came to her face, and she looked back at the still clapping little blonde "Once upon a time, there was a princess named..."

"Hikari!" the girl exclaimed, interrupting her.

Haruka chuckled at that "Hey, let her tell the story"

"But you always say I'm a princess!" she whined.

The brunette girl smiled at that "And then I'm the one getting her crazy ideas..." she joked.

"Ok then" Minako said, smiling "Once upon a time there was a princess named Hikari..."


	21. Chapter 20

**20**

_She was sitting on a bench an the backyard of the big house. The loud music made it impossible for her to listen to nature's sound, but she still found some peace and quietness looking up at the velvet sky._

_She had an untouched bottle of beer in her hand, and she was mindlessly playing with it, making the liquid inside twirl around as she moved it in small circles._

_The cold night's breeze met her legs, and she shivered slightly, regretting her choice of clothing. She frowned, looking down on herself._

_'I hate skirts', she thought, as she contemplated the white skirt that barely reached her mid thighs. The tight light blue shirt she was wearing was nice enough, and she knew she looked good. But she still didn't quite like it._

_She frowned. 'But he does', she told herself, as she felt an arm going around her shoulders, bringing her close to a wide, warm chest._

_Light blue eyes looked at her, and she forced herself to smile. 'He's drunk again...'_

"_Why the long face, sugar?" he asked her, smiling "You should be inside, enjoying the party!" he exclaimed, standing up._

_He took her hand in his, jerking her up, sending her body crushing against his. The beer she had in her hands flowing down to the soft, green grass._

"_I... I'm sorry" she said, her hands on his chest, trying to regain her balance, as she stumbled along with him "I just needed some fresh air..."_

_He look down on her, and smiled._

_She was a tall girl. Taller than all the rest. But he was still taller than her. And their position allowed him to look on the girl's cleavage, slightly showing off with her shirt._

_He smiled again, his hands around her slender waist, pressing their bodies together, and enjoying the feeling of her soft, full breasts against him._

_She squealed, surprised at the sudden move, and looked up at him, frowning._

_"Come on" he said, taking both her hands in his, and guiding her towards the trees at the back._

_He then pressed her hard against a tree, pinning her there with the force of his own body, as his hands start traveling up and down her thighs, his mouth leaving a hot, wet trail on her neck._

_Her eyes went wide open, and she panicked "What are you doing?" she asked, trying to push him away from her with her hands._

_He took her wrists, lifting them up above her head. He pressed one leg between hers, making room for his hips there, and making her lose her balance._

_"Come on, Sugar" he said to her, smiling "We've been dating for almost a year now..."_

"_As, please" she argued, appealing at his nickname. He always loved it when she called him that "You... you're drunk... and everyone's..."_

_"Everyone's starting to wonder" he interrupted her, now pressing harder against her "Maybe what you father said about you is true" he hissed, biting her neck "Is it?" he asked, now licking her ear "Are you a dyke?" he asked again, his hand now on her breast, squeezing it hard._

_She whimpered, and shook her head "No..."_

"_Then prove it" he hissed again, crushing her mouth against hers, kissing her hard._

_He fought against the buttons on her shirt, tearing off more than one, and then he sneaked a hand under her white bra, pinching her nipple, hard and painfully._

_She tilted her head to the side, trying to avoid his drunken breath, and shut her eyes closed, trying to ignore the sudden nausea._

_But when she felt a sharp, unexpected pain inside her, tearing her apart, burning her, her eyes went wide open, and a scream of pain died in her throat as the tears filled her eyes._

_She felt him licking her neck, and making a disgusting sound as he thrust inside her again and again._

_Hard._

_Painfully._

_Hurting her on her most sensitive, private spot._

"_You dyke, you disgusting dyke!" she heard her father's yelling again, and she closed her eyes, tears rolling down her cheeks._

_She whimpered again, her eyes looking up at the sky now, as she desperately tried to ignore the burning feeling inside her._

_The pain was unbearable. But she didn't scream. She didn't fight him._

_And then he was gone, and she fell down to the grass, trembling, shaking. She heard him saying something, but she couldn't make out the words. She simply stayed there, on her hands and knees, telling herself over and over again that this was normal, this was what she wanted. That he was her boyfriend. That she wasn't a dyke..._

_The burning pain wouldn't go away, and she could feel something warm running down her legs. She looked down on herself, staring mindlessly at the trail of blood._

_She threw up then, emptying her stomach, crying hard, and trembling uncontrolled._

_She didn't want this. She wanted to go back in time. To make the pain and the burning go away._

_She didn't want this!_

She opened her eyes to the dark of her bedroom, sweating, and shaking. She closed them again, her trembling hands covering her face, as she tried to composed herself. But she couldn't help the choked whimper that escaped her.

"Damn it!" she cursed, sitting up on the bed.

It had felt so real... It always did. It was like living it all over again...

She felt a pair of hands softly reaching for her, and she jumped up on the bed, surprised, and turned around. But the soft face she met was welcoming, not threatening at all...

"You were dreaming again" came Michiru's soft voice, as the aquamarine haired woman tried to reach the trembling blonde again.

At the soft tone, and the loving, understanding look on those big blue eyes, Haruka couldn't keep it in anymore. She simply broke down. Tears running down her cheeks, her body shaking uncontrolled.

She felt a pair of arms encircling her frame, and she let the other woman hold her close, cuddling on her lap, as the tears kept on coming. The sheets came over her sweaty, trembling body again, and she felt a comforting hand gently caressing her back.

Michiru didn't say anything. Didn't ask any questions. She simply stayed there, sitting on the bed, her back resting against the soft pillows, holding the now softly crying blonde in her arms.

Haruka closed her eyes, breathing in the sweet, soft scent of the woman next to her, as she tried to make the memories dancing in her mind to go away.

She hadn't dreamed about that one night in years. It was always her father... but never Asuke.

She had spent many nights trying to convince herself that it had been her fault. She could have stopped him. She could have screamed out... But she had simply let it happen.

And she had felt so empty, so dirty... And used. And completely worthless.

It had taken her years to finally get over it, and be able to be intimate with another person. He had hurt her so much, so deep inside, that she had been scared of being with someone again... Scared of that sharp, burning feeling. Not the pain of her body, but the pain burning down her soul...

"I could have stopped him..." she whispered, swallowing hard "I should have... God, I was so stupid!"

"You were young, Ruka" Michiru softly whispered, understanding what the blonde was talking about "It wasn't your fault"

"But I let him" she argued "I didn't want to, but I still let him..." she swallowed again "And it hurt... so much..." she said, her voice barely audible.

"It wasn't your fault" Michiru said again, softly, comfortingly "It's over, you're safe now" she said, gently guiding the blonde's head back on the pillows, tucking her in "You just rest"

Haruka took her hand, looking up at her "Stay with me" she pleaded, needing the aquamarine haired woman next to her.

She felt so vulnerable, so small. And she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep without that soft, comforting embrace. "Please..."

Michiru smiled at her, bending down and kissing her softly on the lips, before she let herself get comfortable under the sheets.

"Of course" she whispered, softly, as she held the taller woman close to her. _I'll do anything for you, Ruka_, she added, mentally.

And as the blonde woman closed her eyes, her face resting close to hers, strong, slender arms around her waist, Michiru knew she meant it. It didn't matter if it was too soon. It didn't matter how messed up everything was right now.

She simply knew, she would never be able to walk away.

She wanted to stay like that forever. With Haruka sleeping right next to her.


	22. Chapter 21

**21**

Minako made her way out of her room, her long hair dancing behind her, wet after the long, nice shower she had just taken.

Her friend was making sure Hotaru was getting ready for her doctor appointment, and she knew the small blonde girl was with them as well. So that left her with some free time to herself, and she was in the mood for a nice green tea.

She started humming a melody to herself, smiling, and not paying attention to where she was going. So of course she crash into a wall. A wall that wasn't suppose to be there in the first place.

A warm wall.

A warm wall with two strong arms that wrapped around her waist, stopping her inevitable fall to the ground.

She frowned, looking up into teal eyes. Her hands spread on the silvery haired man that was currently holding her, and she blushed at the contact. But then she smiled, her hands traveling trough the man's strong chest.

"Oh my! You're strong!" she exclaimed, winking at him.

He blinked at her, frowning, and Minako could of sworn she saw him blushing lightly "Are you ok?" he asked her.

"Oh yes!" she assured him, still smiling "I was just appreciating the view here!" she joked.

Kunzite cleared his throat, obviously uncomfortable, and letting the young woman go. His arms now falling next to his tall, strong frame "Do you need anything?"

The young blonde woman rolled her baby blue eyes at him "It's called a compliment!" she exclaimed, exasperated now "I'm not asking for you to say something back, but the least you could do is say thank you!" she scolded him.

He frowned at her, blinking. But then he smile.

A manly, knowing smile.

"I don't think you need me to give you a compliment" he said, his hands deep in his pockets now, as he took a step to the side, letting her pass.

She growled at him, and was about to go to her original destination, when she heard him whispering in her ear "You already know you're a beautiful woman, Minako"

She stopped dead on her tracks, turning around to face him.

He simply winked at her, absolutely loving the blush on the young woman's cheeks, before turning around himself, and walking away.

Minako stood there, blinking away her surprised. And trying really hard to fight down her blush. Why was she blushing, anyway? She shivered, remembering Kunzite's warm breath on her ear, and then she shook her head. _Crazy man!_, she thought to herself, walking down the stairs.

She saw the silvery haired man standing next to his sister, talking about something, and the young blonde woman decided to ignore them. She walked to the kitchen, expecting to find a humming, happy Makoto cooking something. As usual.

But the tall brunette girl wasn't there, and the blonde frowned at that. She could already smell the sweet scent of a promising cake coming from the oven, but the teenage girl wasn't anywhere around.

"That's weird" she said to no one in particular, pouring water on the tea pot.

And that's when she saw it.

She frowned at first, not really understanding what her eyes were telling her. But the moment she recognized the tall, slender frame laying on the grass outside, she knew something was wrong.

She ran outside, kneeling in front of the unconscious brunette girl.

"Makoto, Makoto!" she called out to her, shaking her. But the brunette girl didn't react at all, and Minako noticed the small wound on the girl's forehead, bleeding slightly. And she guessed someone must have hit her on the head. Hard.

"Oh, God..." she breath, standing up, scared now.

She needed to go find Kunzite, she needed to tell him about this. She needed to get the girl inside...

A hard hit on her head surprised her, and she fell flat on the grass, right next to the unconscious brunette girl. Darkness followed, surrounding her.

...

Nephrite opened his eyes.

He could feel a terrible headache already pressing his head, and a warm liquid on the back of his neck told him he was bleeding. He was sitting on a chair. Hands on his back, his long legs tided to the chair.

Someone had hit him hard on the head when he was searching around the woods, and now he was...

_Where the hell am I?_, he frowned, looking around. It looked like a basement.

There was no way for him to know how long he had been unconscious, but the day light coming from the small windows told him it was still morning. Probably almost midday.

A soft groan got his attention, and he took another look around, narrowing his eyes to try to see on the barely illuminated basement.

He saw two figures laying there, tied up to a column.

Green eyes looked up at him, and his frowned deepened, worried now.

Don't move" he warned the brunette girl "You'll make your headache worst" he then looked at the still unconscious blonde woman next to Makoto "How is she?"

The brunette tilted her head to the side, looking at Minako "Sleeping?" she ventured, looking back at him "What the hell...?" she didn't finished her question, already guessing the answer. And her green eyes went wide open, as she struggled with the robs that were holding her down "Haruka!" she exclaimed "We have to warn her!"

"Keep you voice down" Nephrite said, in the most reassuring tone of voice he could master, as he tried to reach his back pocket with his hands "I'm on to it"

One perfect brown eyebrow shut up, questioningly, and Nephrite smiled at her "Just trust me" he said, as his fingers worked fast on his cellphone keyboard.

...

"You look worried" Haruka said to her brother, as she took a seat on the couch, going through her mail.

She didn't got an answer from him, and she wasn't really expecting one, knowing he tended to be a quiet, silent person when he had something on his mind.

So she simply stayed there, her hands working fast on the envelopes. _Bill, bill, publicity, bill_, she stopped at the big, brown one. It had no tags, no name written down.

Nothing at all.

She opened it up, taking the few papers out. Only, there weren't simple papers. The were pictures. Black and white photographs. A shot of Makoto standing next the oven, with a red circle around her head. The words 'I see her', written down at the bottom of the photograph.

Another one was an image of Hotaru playing the violin outside the house, with Minako and Michiru sitting right next to her. Again, red circles around their heads, and the words 'I see them' written down.

She looked at the next picture, and her throat went dry. There, in black and white, in a really bad definition because of the poor light, she could see two naked bodies laying on a bed.

Two naked bodies she recognized immediately, on a bed she knew all too well. The word 'Interesting', in uppercase, red letters.

She swallowed hard, her hands shaking now, and she looked at the next picture. And her heart stopped beating.

She saw her daughter there, smiling at something she couldn't see, as the small girl stood in the middle of the backyard, playing with the small black cat. And in red letters, the words 'I see HER too', crossed the photograph from side to side.

The sound of a phone ringing reached her ears, and she looked up at her brother. Her face white, her body shaking, as she saw her brother frowning at his cellphone.

"That's weird" he commented, reading Nephrite's number flashing on the small screen. But the look on the tall blonde woman worried him "What is it?" he asked, noticing for the first time the photographs she had in her shaking hands.

Haruka didn't answered him. Instead, she threw the pictures at him, and ran upstairs.

Kunzite took the pictures, his eyes narrowing at the images of all the people living on that house. He looked at his cellphone then, and read the text his partner had just sent to him.

'Inside' was all Nephrite had wrote.

But it was enough for him to understand his partner was alive, and hopefully unharmed, but unable to do anything at the moment.

And it was time for him to take his sister and the girls still upstairs, and get them the hell out of there.

A strong punch on his head made him fell down to his knees, and he looked up in time to see the butt of a gun coming down on him, hitting him hard on his forehead, knocking him out.

The last thing he heard was a scream coming from upstairs, and a male voice whispering in his ear "Finally, they noticed"


	23. Chapter 22

**22**

Hotaru looked at herself in the mirror, as she finished brushing her soft, black hair, and then she walked into her bedroom again.

She wrinkled her nose at a weird smell that reached her then, and a ball under the covers of Hikari's bed got her attention, and she smiled, thinking the blonde girl had left her pajamas there again.

She walked up to the bed, lifting the covers with her hands, and her eyes went wide open, terrified, as a scream escaped her lips.

"Oh God..." she heard Michiru's voice right behind her, but the black haired girl couldn't move. Her violet eyes staring at the lifeless black cat laying there, with dried blood covering its once soft fur.

Michiru's hand flew to her mouth, as she tried hard not to throw up her entire breakfast. She heard the small blonde girl jumping inside the room, and she turned around fast, stopping her from seeing the dead animal on her bed.

"What's wrong?" Hikari asked, looking up at the aquamarine haired woman as she pushed her into the hallway.

Michiru didn't answer her. Instead, she locked eyes with the tall blonde woman that came running up the stairs.

Haruka looked back at her, and then took one look inside the bedroom, at the still petrified black haired girl staring down at the revolting sight on Hikari's bed.

She walked in, taking Hotaru's hand, and making her walked out with her "We're getting out of here" she announced "Now"

But before the tall blonde woman could truly step out of the room, she heard Hotaru taking a sharp intake of breath, as Michiru flew into a wall, falling down on hands and knees, and her daughter screamed out to her.

"No one's going anywhere unless I say so" came a male voice, and the tall blonde woman looked down the hallway, to the man standing there, smiling back at her "Hello, sugar. Long time no see" he said.

Green eyes went wide open, scared to death at the sight in front of her.

The man there was tall, build up, and obviously strong. Light blue eyes looking back at her, almost transparent with his sick, menacing expression. A twisted smile on a face she thought she would never see again, as he held her daughter from her neck, on a strong, painful grip.

A silver gun pointing at the girl's head.

"Don't move" he warned her, pressing his gun on Hikari's temple, hard, and making the small girl cry out "If any of you move, I put a bullet in her head"

"Please, don't..." the blonde woman begged, slowly raising her hands in the air, palms up "Don't hurt her"

He smiled at her, his gun trailing down the trembling girl's face "It's almost poetic, don't you think, sugar?" he asked, the sick smile never leaving his face "Being the one taking her life... it's poetic"

"Mommy" the girl cried out, desperately. Her little hands trying to fight down the strong hold around her neck.

Asuke laughed at the girl's pleading cry, looking at a pale aquamarine haired woman that was still laying on the floor, right next to the tall car racer "Or should I kill your bitch first?"

Michiru's eyes went wide open as the gun was now pointing at her, right at her forehead. And she knew one single bullet would kill her instantly. She heard Hotaru crying, and Hikari fighting against the strong grip that held her prisoner.

Haruka took a step toward him, and he quickly turned the gun back on the girl's head, successfully making her stopped dead on her tracks "Don't move, or I'll kill her" he warned her.

"Let them go" she demanded, in a surprisingly strong voice, as her heart was beating desperately on her chest.

Asuke laughed at her "And why should I ever do that?"

"I'll give you whatever you want" she said, looking straight into his eyes "This is between you and me. Just let them go"

"I don't think so" he said, smiling at her "Now get in there!" he yelled, pointing the bedroom with his head. The blonde woman hesitated, and he pressed his gun harder against Hikari's temple "Get in there, now" he said again, his finger dangerously caressing the trigger.

Haruka swallowed hard, walking backwards, her eyes never leaving his face. One hand up in the air, the other pushing Hotaru back inside with her. Her mind going miles per hour, trying to figure out a way to get that gun out of his hand, without pulling the trigger and getting a bullet into her daughter's head.

But the gun could point anywhere in the middle of the struggle, she new that much. She didn't care getting shot herself, but she couldn't risk getting anyone hurt. She wouldn't!

Asuke looked down at the aquamarine haired woman, and kicked her hard on the stomach "You too, bitch!" he yelled at her.

She screamed out in pain, and Haruka jumped to help her, when Asuke stopped her "I don't think so, Kori" he warned her, holding the girl tightly, chocking her. And when she narrowed her eyes at him, he smiled again "Oh, I forgot... It's Tenoh now, isn't it?"

"Mom" Hikari chocked out, tears cascading down her pale cheeks, as her little hands tried to loosen up the strong hold around her neck.

"You're hurting her!" the car racer yelled, tears forming in her eyes now.

"I'll do much more than that if you don't get your fucking whore into that room, now!" he yelled back, pressing harder on the girl's neck.

She swallowed again, bending down and helping a gasping Michiru get inside the room with her. Her eyes never leaving scared, crying green ones, looking desperately back at her.

She needed to do something, anything!, to help her baby girl and save her from that monster!

Once the three of them were inside the room, as he had demanded, he stood on the doorway, still pointing his gun at Hikari, and looking quite amused at the result. Michiru was still laying on the floor, a hand against her stomach, as the black haired girl was now kneeling right next to her, a worried, scared expression on her small features. Haruka was standing in the middle of the room, looking more than ready to jump on him.

But the gun he was still holding stopped her from doing anything at all. And he knew it.

"You ruined my life once" he said, looking at the tall blonde woman. His eyes full of hate "And now I'm going to return the favor" he looked briefly at the girl he held in his arms.

Haruka frowned at his words. And the deep, strong feeling of true panic inside her started growing with every single breath she took "What do you mean? I never did anything..."

"You ruined my life!" he yelled at her, shutting her up "Your stupid drunk father came to my house, yelling and wanting to kill me, saying I had _disgraced_ his daughter. Saying I took advantage of you!"

She narrowed her eyes at him "You did"

"Shut up, bitch! You were looking for it!" he yelled again, now pointing his gun at her "They accused me of rape, and kicked me out of the team! Out of my house! You ruined me!" he yelled again

"So this is about you and your stupid dreamed career?" Haruka asked, incredulously "Those were your options? Soccer player, or a criminal?"

"I told you to shut up!" he warned her, now pointing his gun at Michiru "Or I'll start by killing your bitch"

Michiru let out a gasp at the gun pointing at her again, as she felt Hotaru's hands on her arms tightening their grip. But then her heartbeat stopped completely, and she panicked as the tall car racer stepped in front of them, shielding them both with her own body.

He smiled at her move "You took my future away, and now I'm taking yours" he said, bending down, his mouth right next to the little girl's ear "Say goodbye to mommy now" he said, before reaching out a hand, and closing the door.

"No!" Haruka yelled, as she jumped to the door, trying to get it open with all her might, and her eyes went wide open in panic as she heard the sound of the door being locked.

And the desperate cries of a scared little girl, calling out to her. Her fear increasing as the screams started to fade away.

He was going down the stairs! He was taking her away!

"Fuck!" she yelled again, desperately trying to jerk the door open. She hit it with her fits then, hard, over and over again. _Hikari! No!_, he was taking her baby away. He was hurting her, and she was going to loose her! "Fuck!" she yelled again, desperately.

She heard the soft cries of another girl, right behind her, and she turned around, looking at a terrified Hotaru staring right back at her. Her violet eyes almost transparent with her tears.

Michiru was right next to the black haired girl, and they were holding each other. And Haruka vaguely wonder who was comforting who there...

She blinked then, spotting the open window. And she made up her mind, marching up towards it. She took one calculating glance down, before sitting down on the edge. But a strong hand stopped her.

"Are you crazy?" Michiru asked her, looking incredibly scared. And worried "You'll kill yourself!"

"He's taking her away!" she exclaimed, desperately.

"There has to be another way..." she tried to reason.

"There's no time!" the blonde interrupted her.

She took one last look at the still kneeling black haired girl, and then she looked back at those big blue eyes. She reached out a hand, taking her down and kissing her, hard and deeply, before looking into her eyes again.

"I love you" she whispered.

Michiru cried out at the words, holding the blonde's hand desperately "Ruka..."

"Take care of her" she begged, before turning back around.

She took a deep breath, and swung her legs out, the tip of her feet blindly searching for the railing she knew should be there.

She stood up then, her body pressed against the wall, and slowly let herself down. But she lost her balance and slip, barely able to stop herself from crushing down by grabbing the railing with her hands. She crushed against the wall then, and let out a gasp, as the impact took the air out of her lungs.

"Haruka!" Michiru screamed at her, terrified.

The blonde looked up for a moment, before looking down again. _It's not that long of a distance..._ she thought. And with that in mind, she let go of the railing.

"Haruka!"


	24. Chapter 23

**23**

"Haruka!" Michiru yelled out to the tall blonde woman laying on the grass.

And a sigh of relieve escaped her when she saw her opening her eyes, and looking up back at her for a second, before she stood up, running away.

"Damn, crazy woman!" she cursed, turning around.

But she knew she couldn't really blame her. She would probably do the same in her place...

She looked at the black haired girl, still froze on her spot on the floor, and she walled up to her. Her stomach hurt, but she didn't care. She knelt next to Hotaru, softly caressing her silken hair.

"Are you alright?" she asked, fully aware of just how stupid that question sounded.

Hotaru blinked at her, silent tears running down her pretty face "What's gonna happen to Hikari?" she asked, her voice a trembling whisper "To Haruka....?"

"Nothing!" she assured her, wanting so much to believe her own words, but failing miserably "Nothing's gonna happen to them" she said, feeling more scared than ever before in her entire life.

She swallowed her own tears, standing up and walking to the door. She tried the knob a couple of times, already knowing she wasn't going to open it by just pulling from it. She let out a frustrated sigh, and took a look around the room, searching for something, anything, that would help her open the damned door.

...

"What are you doing?" Makoto asked the concentrated looking brown haired man. She was getting desperate by now, and he seemed to be doing only God knew what, asking her to trust him...

She growled at him when he didn't provide any answer to her question, and was about to say something to the damn dense man, when she felt the woman next to her starting to wake up.

"Welcome to the world of the living" she said, sarcastically, the moment big, confused blue eyes looked back at her.

Nephrite cursed profusely, and when a scream coming from somewhere on the house reached them, he cursed again.

Minako's eyes went wide open then, as Makoto started desperately to try to free herself, only to get her wrists hurt. She knew she was going to start bleeding any moment now, but she didn't care. She had to get up there! She had to help Haruka!

"Damn it!" she exclaimed, as the robs sunk deep into her flesh, blinking the tears the pain caused away.

"Got it!" she heard Nephrite exclaimed, and she looked up at him in time to see him bending down, cutting off the robs that were tiding his legs to the chair with a pocket knife.

She saw trails of blood coming from his hands, and she winced, guessing he had cut himself more than once. But when he finally stood up, making his way to her, kneeling down and working on her robs, she smiled at him.

"I swear, I could kiss you right now" she said, excitedly.

He glared at her "If I untie you now, you have to promise you'll stay here until I say so" he said to her, pointing a finger at her.

"Hell no!" she said "I'm gonna kill that asshole!"

"Makoto!" he exclaimed, getting exasperated now "Promise you'll stay here" he insisted, now looking at the young blonde woman too "Both of you!"

The brunette girl narrowed her eyes at him, and was about to say something, when the sound of desperate screams reached their ears, along with the sound of someone running down the stairs right above them.

Makoto panicked then, looking at Nephrite.

"He's taking Hikari" she said, her voice a trembling whisper "He's taking her..." she blinked once, before looking back at Nephrite's eyes "Hurry up, do something!" she demanded.

With one swift motion, he cut the robs holding the brunette girl, and then he threw the pocket knife at her.

"Help her" he instructed, pointing at Minako, and making his way up the small stairway.

He stood by the door for a moment, looking at it, testing it with one hand, before he took one single step down, and lifted his leg, swinging the door open with one hard, strong kick. Broken wood flying everywhere.

He ran out, his eyes quickly searching for any sings, any clues that could lead him to Asuke. He stepped into the living room, and he stumbled into something. He frowned, looking down at his partner, wincing at the nice, pretty bruise starting to form on his forehead.

He bent down then, noticing Kunzite slowly coming back, so he shook his shoulders "Come on, man!" he demanded "Where is he? What happened?"

Kunzite groaned, but something else had already got Nephrite's attention.

First, the scared screams coming from somewhere outside. And then the sound of a door being savagely hit at, from one of the rooms upstairs.

And when he heard Minako and Makoto running inside the living room right behind him, he played his cards, deciding Asuke must be outside.

He stood up, looking at the women "You, stay with him" he said, pointing at the blonde young woman, as he bent down, searching for the gun he had hidden under the couch "You, go upstairs and help them" he said, looking at the brunette girl.

"Them? Who?" she asked, confused. But the glare the tall brown haired man gave her made her shut up, and follow his instructions.

She ran up the stairs, the sound of a door being hit at getting stronger now, and guiding her to Hikari's and Hotaru's bedroom door. She frowned, worried over what exactly she was going to find in there. But when a soft whimpering reached her ears from over the strong hitting sound, her green eyes went wide open, recognizing that sound.

"Hotaru?" she asked, hands up against the wooden door.

The hitting sound stopped then, and she heard a familiar voice coming from the other side.

"Makoto? Get us out if here!" was Michiru's desperate yell, as she was obviously pulling from the door knot over and over again.

"Ok, ok, just stop it before you break the lock!" she yelled back "Wait here!" she said, and almost laughed when she heard Michiru's answer to that last comment.

"And where the hell do you want me to go, exactly!"

The brunette ran inside Haruka's bedroom, right to the blonde's wardrobe, opening the second drawer on the left. She silently thanked the car racer's habit of always making copies of all the keys, as she found the set she was looking for.

She ran out again, fighting briefly with the keys on the lock, before the door flung open, and a desperately scared looking Michiru ran right out, grabbing the teenage girl by her arms.

"Where is she?" she asked. But when Makoto blinked at her, she shook her by the shoulders "Haruka! Where is she?"

Makoto frowned, really worried now "I... I don't know..."

The distant sound of a gun being fired reached them then, and they looked at each others eyes, panic evident on their faces by now.

And when a second shot soon followed, the tears Michiru had been fighting against filled her eyes, as her heart stopped beating, and she started trembling.

"Ruka... Hikari... oh God..." she breath, before she started running down the stairs in a desperate chase, praying to any and all gods up above.

"Michiru, wait!" Makoto yelled after her, ready to follow her.

But the soft crying that had first got her attention, made her turned around. Hotaru was now openly and desperately crying, still knelt down on the floor, shaking and gasping. "Shit!" the brunette cursed, before going to hold the girl.

...

She ran around the house, her heart beating hard in her ears.

Pure, raw panic forcing her to run faster than ever before in her entire life. She could hear the high pitch screams she knew all too well. Only this time, the screams were more scared, more desperate than ever.

She ran faster then, nearing the corner of the house, and spotting a white van on the entry road. A van that shouldn't be there. A van where Asuke was throwing a screaming and kicking little blonde girl, before closing the door.

Without even thinking it twice, without even caring if he was still holding that gun or not, she threw herself towards that van. Haruka didn't even knew how exactly she did it, but before she knew it she was jumping up to him.

He saw her coming, and pointed his gun at her. But the blonde woman jumped him before he could have a clear shot, making him fall down, hard on his back, as they both fought for the gun.

Somewhere in the middle of it all, the trigger got pulled, and a deafening, strong sound pierced the midday air.


	25. Chapter 24

Ever seen a mama bear defending her babies? (that's one scary bear!) Keep that in mind when picturing Haruka

Enjoy!

* * *

**24**

Minako was kneeling right next to a dizzy looking Kunzite, worriedly looking down on him.

"Are you alright?" she asked, helping him to sit up.

He looked at her, and then at his partner. Nephrite simply nodded his head, before running outside.

Kunzite turned back at Minako, trying to stand up now. But when he stumbled slightly, the blonde woman was fast to catch him, standing him.

"Careful" she said to him.

"I don't have time to be careful" he growled at her, taking his cellphone and handing it to her "Call the police" he said to her. And when he heard a gun being fired, he looked back at her "Now!" he urged, before running outside, right after his partner, following the sound of a second shot.

...

Everything happened so fast. She was jumping on Asuke one moment, and a burning, piercing pain made her cry out the next.

But she didn't stop.

She fought him with all her strength; her panic, her fear, her anger, fueling her body into action, as she tried to take the gun away from him. Trying to point it at some other place other than herself.

He pulled the trigger again, and she heard someone behind her cursing profusely, as she rolled around; Asuke still trying to move over her.

She felt him trying to straddle her, and she took her chance, lifting her knee up and meeting his groin. Hard. With all the hate, the fear, all that raw panic built up inside her concentrated on that single kick.

He gasped for air, his eyes going white, and she rolled out and away from him, standing up in one swift motion.

"You fucking bitch!" he said to her, his voice a weak yell, as his shaking hand pointed the gun at her.

She kicked his hand, sending the gun far away. And then she kicked him again, this time on his stomach. And then again on his face. And then again, and again, and again.

She didn't know how many times she kicked him, but suddenly a pair of strong arms were holding her down, stopping her from kicking that bastard again.

"Stop it!" someone yelled at her.

"Let me go!" she yelled, fighting the strong hold that was keeping her away from hitting Asuke again "Let me go! Fucking son of a bitch, I'll kill him!" she yelled again, desperately.

"Haruka, stop!" the voice yelled at her again "That's enough!"

She stopped then, as somewhere in the back of her mind she recognized the voice yelling her to stop.

She fell down to the grass on her hands and knees. Breathing hard, and trembling. She looked up at teal, worried eyes, and then at the other man there, sitting on the grass and holding a bleeding shoulder.

She blinked, not fully understanding what exactly happened, as she looked at a beaten up Asuke, laying barely conscious on the grass, near the van.

Her mind was a blur, her body trembling uncontrolled, and all she could fully comprehend were the screams coming from the van.

She saw her brother opening the sliding door of the back, and the moment her green eyes catch a sight of a crying, terribly scared little girl in there, she stood up, running to her.

"Hikari!" she cried out, extending her arms as the little girl threw herself at her, desperately crying against her chest.

Little arms encircling around her neck, as she fell down on her knees again, rocking the precious little frame in her arms, kissing her cheeks, her forehead, her nose.

"Mommy!" she cried out on her neck, trembling, desperately hanging from her mother's neck.

"I'm here, baby, I'm here" she whispered to her, kissing the girl's forehead "Are you hurt?" she asked, now looking down at her, searching her small, trembling body for any sign of a bruise.

The girl shook her head repeatedly, before crushing against her mother's chest again, and the tall blonde let out a sigh of relief, holding her daughter close.

"Haruka!" she heard someone calling out to her, before a pair of arms encircled her, and she let out a painful gasp, registering for the first time the wound on her arm "You're bleeding!"

The blonde looked down on herself.

Her skin was reaped apart, in a clean, straight line; blood sliding down her arm, the exposed flesh burned. Her sweatshirt was no longer white, covered with dirt, and blood spots all over her side. Probably from her bleeding arm.

She frowned at the sight.

She looked up again, into big, tearful blue eyes. She reached up her hand, completely ignoring the pain that traveled trough her arm, softly whipping away the tears on Michiru's cheeks. And the woman chocked out a gasp at the gesture, capturing the blonde's lips in hers.

"I'm ok" the blonde said, breaking up the kiss and looking into her eyes. Her hand still caressing Michiru's cheek.

"I love you, Ruka" she whispered softly to her. And she couldn't fight down her giggled, mixed up with a hiccup, at the blonde's surprised expression, before they kissed again.

The aquamarine haired woman rested her forehead against Haruka's, smiling through her tears, and sniffling. She looked down on the small girl then, at the same time as she looked up at them both.

Her soft green eyes full of tears. And Michiru smiled reassuringly at her, softly caressing her wet cheeks with one hand, before looking back at the tall blonde woman "I love you both" she whispered, caressing Haruka's cheek with her other hand.

A growled coming from somewhere near them got their attention, and the tall blonde woman looked at the bleeding, growling man laying there, as Kunzite was putting the handcuffs on him.

Nephrite was standing right next to him, still holding his bleeding shoulder, and looking down on Asuke. A smile came to his lips as he heard the sound of sirens nearing the house.

"Hostage lesson number one, you asshole" he said "Always empty your prisoner's pocket"


	26. Chapter 25

**25**

She winced when the mean looking cotton touched her skin, burning slightly. The damn wounds around her wrists were everything but pretty, and the nice looking nurse was doing a good job cleaning her.

But that thing on the cotton still burned!

She was been a crybaby, and she knew it. But after the day they all just had, she felt she was in tittle to whine around a little. But just a little.

Once she was nicely bandaged up, and the painkillers they had given her for that nasty headache started working its magic, she was free to go looking for her family. She spotted a familiar silvery haired man stepping out of a trauma room and walking down the hallway, and she decided to check that particular room before going Haruka hunting.

She was a woman of her word, after all.

She saw him sitting on the bed, testing his bandaged shoulder and growling.

He was everything but pleased with his wound, and he wasn't ashamed to show it. His shirt was long gone, and probably completely worthless now, reaped apart by the paramedics and covered with blood.

She smiled, appreciating the sight in front of her green eyes "That's what you get for playing hero" she joked, getting his attention.

He looked up at her, surprised at first. But then he narrowed his eyes, growling again "It's my job" he stated.

"Oh, so you get paid for getting shot?" she joked again, walking up to the bed and standing right next to him.

"Did you need anything?" he asked her, fighting the urge to roll his eyes at her.

"You know, for being such a strong, smart guy, you sure can be quite stupid at times" she said, as an answer to his question, before bending down on the bed and kissing his lips.

It was a soft kiss, barely brushing her lips against his. And when she pulled away, and saw the surprised expression on his handsome face, along with the cute slight blush on his cheeks, she couldn't help but giggle at him.

He reached up a hand to his own lips, blinking up at her "What was that for?" he asked, surprised.

"I said I could kiss you, so I did" she simply answered "Besides, you played the hero, you deserved your prize" she said, winking at him, before turning around and walking to the door again "I would love to stay here with you and play nurse, but I have a blonde to scold for scarring the life out of me" she said, before disappearing behind the door.

Nephrite stared after the closed door, blinking away his surprise before growling again.

"What a crazy girl" he mumbled. A small smile making its way to his lips.

...

With strong, fast steps, he made his way along the hallway. A frown on his handsome face, as his eyes searched the hospital waiting area for a certain woman he needed to talk to.

He had spent the last hour talking to the local police, making sure they kept Asuke behind bars and with watchful eyes until he could make the necessary arrangements to take him back to prison.

Kunzite growled. He knew he had at least two days worth of paper work ahead of him. If he was fast...

But first, he needed to talk to her. After the ambulances had taken his wounded partner and his sister away, and after all the other occupants of the house had followed after them to the local hospital, he had stayed behind for a little while.

Taking the envelope with the black and white photographs in it, he had searched the entire house. He had been doing his jobs long enough to realized those pictures had been taken from the inside. And there was no way for Asuke to walked around the house with him and Nephrite in it. So that meant he had been there before they got into town.

A quick, efficient search confirmed his suspicions. There were hidden, small cameras all around. In the kitchen, in Hikari and Hotaru's bedroom, in the living room, in Haruka's bedroom. The bastard had somehow got in, plant the cameras, and then watched them like a hawk, waiting for the right moment to attack.

A quick glance into the white van only confirmed this. There were monitors showing those exact rooms, laptops, earphones, and a switchboard.

And tapes. Neatly labeled tapes.

Kunzite smiled at that one. The asshole had taped it all. And now there was enough evidence to lock him up for life. Because it wasn't a simple kidnap this time. This time, he had tried to kidnap and hurt his own daughter. And that fact alone could easily add another five years to his already long time in prison.

He knew the envelope he still had in his hands was evidence, and as such he should give it to the police, so they could tag it and then send it to his Station, where Asuke's case was being followed.

But before doing that, he felt he needed to talk to her. Another unpleasant surprised was the last thing anyone needed right now...

He found her sitting on a chair. Her gaze lost at some point in the white wall. Her face still pale from all the previous drama and agitation. And her long, aquamarine hair, falling down her shoulders and framing her face, only made her look even paler.

He walked up to her, noticing she was sitting there alone.

He frowned at that, wondering where Makoto and Minako could be. But the worried expression on her face when she noticed him made him forget about those two for the moment.

"How is she?" she asked, before he could say anything at all "She's going to be fine, right?"

He smiled reassuringly at her "She's fine, it's nothing serious" he said, sitting down next to her "I need to talk to you about something" he said, giving her the brown envelope.

She frowned at that, taking the envelope in her hands. And upon his nod, she opened it, taking out the photographs.

Her face got even whiter, blue eyes going wide open "What... what is this?" she asked, her voice a trembling whisper, staring at the picture of her, Minako and Hotaru on the outside of the house.

"That's my fault" he said, in a somewhat apologetic manner "I knew he was watching, and I should have looked for bugs and hidden cameras..."

He stopped talking when she suddenly looked up at him, with a mix of embarrassment, panic, and confusion in her face. He looked down at the picture she was now holding on top of the others, and he simply nodded his head at her.

"I just thought I should warn you" he said "I know it's your private life, and it's not my place to ask any questions. But there _is_ going to be questions about it. A lot of questions, actually"

She looked down at the picture again, not really saying anything, and simply listening to him.

He let out a sigh, a hand going through silvery white hair "He planted cameras and microphones all over the house, and it's evidence" he explained "I know this must be uncomfortable for you, but I can't ..."

"I understand" she softly said, nodding her head and interrupting him. She then blushed, deeply, and lowered her gaze "Is this... are there.. more... photographs?" she asked, obviously embarrassed.

He rubbed his head at the question, somehow embarrassed himself "There were tapes on his van"

She looked up at him at that, her face burning red, her blue eyes wide open "Tapes?" she asked, in a trembling whisper "Oh God..." she breathed, covering her face with her hands.

"I'm sorry..." he apologized, even though it wasn't his fault. But there was nothing he could do to hide those tapes. It was evidence, and he couldn't hide it "We've already took the bugs and everything's been taken away to further investigation..."

"God! I'm so embarrassed!" she exclaimed, now standing up. Her hands going trough her curly hair in a nervous manner.

"Hey" he said, standing up too, and looking at her "I promise I'll do anything in my power to keep this as private as possible" he assured her "I know the person who manages the lab, and I know she's a very professional woman. I'll ask her to keep it quiet about that one tape"

"Can you do that?" Michiru asked.

"I can try" he said, shaking his shoulder "Unless they find something out of place in there, it's no good to the investigation anyway"

She frowned at that "Something out of place? Like what?"

"A shadow, a reflection on a mirror, something like that" he explained. He put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it lightly "Don't worry, there won't be anything useful. He had a high tech equipment, and he's not that stupid. He knew we were there, and that he couldn't be around the house. And with all the bugs and micros, he didn't need to"

She looked at him, still frowning, but nodded her head anyway. She knew there wasn't much he could do about it. She just didn't really feel comfortable knowing someone, anyone, was going to have a private show with that one tape...

"So this is how he knew..." she murmured "About... about Haruka and me... he knew..."

Kunzite nodded his head "I'm sorry" he apologized again "I should have checked..."

"It's ok" she interrupted him, shaking her head "I'm just glad it's over"

He nodded his head again "Me too" he agreed.

He studied her for a moment, before smiling "You're good to her" he simply stated.

Michiru looked at him, frowning for a moment, before her cheeks went red again, and he chuckled at her.

"We all need someone, right?" he said, his gentle smile never fading "And you're good to her. I really hope it works out"

She smiled at that, nodding her head "Me too" she said "Me too"


	27. Chapter 26

I'm in the mood for a little celebration. We're in the World Cup! Yay! Lame game thou (1-0 against Uruguay?? COME ON! We can do better than that!!!! I KNOW WE CAN!!)... but hey! We're in!

Anyway! For those of you who don't like soccer and have absolutely no clue of what I'm babbling about, don't mind me. The important thing is, here's another chap!

Only a couple more, and this story is DONE!

Enjoy!

* * *

**26**

Everything was a blur. She couldn't really tell the difference between a second and an hour. Her brain was somehow able to register everything around her, but at the same time she was in a trance like state. She felt as if she's been half a person since... _how long has it been?_, she vaguely wonder, trying to look for a clock somewhere on the white, sterile walls.

She looked down on herself. The blood stained sweatshirt made her sick to her stomach, and she wonder how exactly had she managed not to throw up her entire insides...

The only thing that was keeping her from moving from her spot on that bed was the small human ball cuddled against her.

From her half sitting position, all she could really see was a small blonde head resting against her stomach. And she could feel small arms around her waist, and a pair of legs curled up against her.

They had tried to take the girl away in order to attend to the tall woman's wounds properly. But no one had been able to make the girl let go of her mother. Hikari had yelled so hard and cried so much, they had simply let her be. And now she had fallen asleep, probably exhausted after the day's events.

But even in her sleep, she was still holding her mother tight. And Haruka had no intention of letting her go anytime soon.

"Hey" a soft, friendly like male voice called out to her, getting her somehow out of her trance.

She looked up from her sitting position on the ER bed, and into the man that had just walked into the curtains where a nice doctor she knew well enough was currently sewing her up.

"You were lucky" Kunzite said to her.

She didn't answer, she simply frowned at him, and he pointed at her arm "The bullet passed you by. You were lucky"

She nodded her head, looking at her arm now, as the black haired doctor kept on putting that needle in and out. She frowned again, only now realizing she didn't feel any pain at all, and wondered when exactly had they given her some painkillers.

And then she remembered she wasn't the only one with a shot wound, and she looked back up at her brother "How's Nephrite?" she asked.

He smiled at her "He's a big guy, he's ok" he walked up to the bed, taking the chair right next to it, and holding his sister's hand "You really need to stop worrying about everyone now" he scolded her, but the look upon his face betrayed him.

She simply raised an eyebrow at him, deciding it was best not to argue about that statement of his right now. But then she looked back at him, remembering something.

"Tell me what happened" she said to him "After I left, what happened?" But when her brother simply frowned at her, she soon added "Asuke said I ruined his life"

She remembered his words, and told Kunzite what Asuke had said to her. And while saying those words to her brother, she couldn't help but feel there was still something missing. It all sounded just too simple, too weird. Why now? Why six years later? And why did he wanted Hikari? Why her, and not Haruka?

Kunzite looked confused for a moment, a hand on his chin, as he listened to her sister's words. And then he shook his head "Maybe the part about dad going to his place and wanting to beat him up is true" he said, shaking his shoulders "But he got kicked out of the team all on his own. He got into a fight with the goalkeeper in the middle of the shower room. Asuke kicked him pretty badly. Head injuries and all. Some parents complained, and he was kicked out. About a week later he simply drop out of school completely"

Haruka frowned "Then why did he say all that? I mean, I don't understand..."

"Me neither" Kunzite said "Maybe he just found someone to blame, I don't know... the guy's sick, Haru. It's not your fault. And I'm going to make sure he rots in jail" he assured her "Between his running away and this whole mess, he has at least ten more years to add to his sentence"

She nodded her head, not really caring what happened to Asuke from now on, as long as he stayed away from her family. She frowned again, and was about to say something to her brother when the sound of arguing voices from behind the curtain got their attention.

"But I wanna see her!" came a girl's voice.

"Hotaru, come on, I need to run some tests..." came a female voice right after the first one, as the curtains got open again, and a black haired girl walked right in, making her way to the bed where the tall blonde racer was laying on.

Hotaru look at her guardian, and then at the small blonde girl sleeping next to her "How is she?" she asked, in a soft, trembling voice.

The blonde woman smiled down at her, patting the free spot on the bed right next to her. And when Hotaru didn't hesitate a second, carefully laying herself down right next to the tall car racer and hugging her -and Hikari in the process-, Haruka smiled again "She's fine, kiddo. She's just tired"

"Good" Hotaru said, nodding her head, and nuzzling against her guardian "I'm glad everyone's ok, then" she stated, obviously relieved.

A short blue haired woman walked in then, hands on her hips and frowning down at the black haired girl. But the loving gaze in her eyes betrayed her faked anger.

"See? I told you she was in good hands!" she exclaimed, and then she looked at the blonde woman "She won't let me finish her check up"

Hotaru looked innocently up to Haruka, and the blonde woman chuckled "Hey, I only agreed to come here so you could come to your appointment with Amy"

"But I'm fine!" the girl argued, pouting "And I wanna go home"

Before anyone could say anything to Hotaru's complain, the curtains got open again, and in walked an angry looking tall brunette teenage girl, followed by a worried aquamarine haired woman, and a simply tired looking young blonde. The small space looked incredibly crowd now, and everyone looked up at the brunette, as she glared down at the car racer, hands on her hips, and frowning.

"You stupid blonde!" she scolded her "What the hell were you thinking, getting yourself shot?"

Haruka smiled at her "I wasn't?" she ventured. And then she looked down at the blonde girl in her arms "He was taking her away..."

The tall brunette teenage girl looked at the small blonde girl, and smiled, nodding her head. But then she frowned, looking back at the car racer "Yeah, well, don't do that again! You scared the hell out of me, and I like you better in one piece" she scolded her again "And alive!"

The tall blonde woman chuckled at her "I'll try to remember that next time"

"Next time? Next time?!" the brunette asked, almost yelling. She looked like she was about to say something else, but the girl closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to calm herself down "If you ever do something like that, ever again, I'll shoot you myself!" she warned her, pointing a finger at her "Got it?"

Haruka smiled at her, somewhat amused over Makoto's reprimand. She couldn't blame her, not really. But the girl had some really weird ways of showing her concern sometimes...

"Ok then!" Makoto exclaimed, taking Hotaru's hand in hers "Let's attack the sweet machine" she said, opening the curtains again and walking out "I'm in the mood for some sugar right now"

And with that, the girl walked out, with a now happy Hotaru, to hunt down some sweets together.

Minako looked after them for a moment, before turning back and looking at Haruka.

She smiled a tired smile at her, happy that everyone was safe and sound, but feeling exhausted. It all had been too much for her, and she was tired, her head still hurt, and she really wanted to curled into a bed and simply sleep till tomorrow.

She looked at the silvery haired man still sitting on the chair, noticing the black bruise on his forehead, and she frowned.

He seemed to noticed her staring at him, because he smiled up to her, and winked "I'm ok" he said softly to her, his smile getting wider when the young blonde woman simply blushed.

"I um... I'll go wait outside" she mumbled in an embarrassed manner, before walking out too.

Kunzite chuckled, and Haruka raised an eyebrow at him. But before she could say anything, he stood up, kissed her forehead, and walked out, saying he still had to talk to the police.

"Liar" Haruka accused, but he was already gone. She rolled her eyes, but a smile came to her lips when she saw the aquamarine haired woman still standing there "Hey"

Michiru returned the smile, walking up to the bed, and taking the empty chair.

"Hey" she answered, taking Haruka's hand in hers and kissing it softly. Blue eyes looking into green ones. There was so much she wanted to say. So much they needed to talk about...

"Mommy?" came a soft, sleepy voice, interrupting Michiru's thoughts and getting their attention. Hikari looked up from her spot on her mother's belly, and rubbed her eyes with one hand "Can we go home now?"

"Yes, you can" the doctor answered her, now standing up and looking at the tall blonde woman "Just make sure you take it easy on that arm of yours" he warned her.

"Sure thing, doc" she said, nodding her head.

"I mean it, Haruka" he said, looking serious "I really don't want to see you in here again. Not as a patient"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it Mamoru" she said, looking up at him "It's not like I like it either"

Mamoru ignored her, and looked to Michiru instead "Just make sure she doesn't go around lifting anything and playing hero again" he said to her, and then followed to explain to her all the precautions and cares the blonde needed to her wound.

Haruka frowned at him "Hey, I can take care of myself!" she complained, annoyed at being treated like a kid.

"I noticed" he said, rolling his blue eyes. But then he smiled "I'm glad you're ok" he said, before walking out of the room himself.

"Can we go now, mom?" Hikari asked again, sitting up on the bed.

Before Haruka could answer anything at all, Michiru got up from her sitting position on the chair. She lifted the small girl in her arms, who quickly rested her head in her shoulder, willing to fall back asleep again, and then the aquamarine haired woman smiled down at the car racer.

She took Haruka's hand in hers, smiling at the blonde "Let's go home"


	28. Chapter 27

**27**

By the time they were finally able to go home, it was already getting dark outside. Everyone was tired, and in no mood for dinner, so they all simply skip it and started to get ready for bed.

Kunzite had already make sure Hikari's bed was clean out of any evidence of the disgusting sight that had welcomed them there earlier that day, and there were now clean sheets on a perfectly made bed.

But Haruka still didn't quite like the idea of her daughter sleeping there.

Apparently, Hotaru felt the same way, because the moment the blonde little girl was wrapped up on her pajamas, the black haired girl took her hand, guiding her to her own bed.

Haruka took her daughter's clothes, folding them on the chair next to the vanity, watching the scene in front of her.

Both girls were already in bed, getting under the sheets with Makoto's help. The brunette looked tired, but she still helped the girls getting into bed, and kissed them goodnight, hugging them lovingly and covering them with the sheets.

She then turned to the standing blonde woman, and smiled tiredly at her "I have a hot date with my pillow now" she announced, yawning "Don't wanna be late"

"How romantic" Haruka joked, smiling.

"Oh yeah, you have no idea" the brunette said. But then she frowned, crossing her arms over her chest "You better go to bed too" she said "And no fooling around, getting shot and all"

The blonde smiled at her "I'll do my best" she assured her.

"Good!" Makoto exclaimed, still frowning. She looked at her for a moment, before jumping up to her and hugging her, surprising the blonde with the sudden movement.

But Haruka recovered from her surprise soon, returning the embrace and hugging the teenage girl. She felt the girl kissing her cheek, before looking at her. An embarrassed smile on her face.

Haruka chuckled at that, knowing full well the brunette wasn't really good at showing her emotions "Didn't you have a date to go to?" she asked, saving the girl from her embarrassment.

"Right!" she said, smiling "Never keep'em waiting for too long, right?"

"Just go to bed already" Haruka said, rolling her eyes.

"Sir, yes, sir!" Makoto said, making a salute to her before walking to the door "Night, night!"

Haruka simply rolled her eyes at the brunette, smiling, before walking up to the bed. She sat down, supporting herself with her good arm, and looking down on the already half asleep little blonde in there, and a not less tired looking Hotaru.

But the black haired girl sat up on the bed, and then hung herself from Haruka's neck, hugging her close. Or as close as she could get, considering a small little blonde girl was in between them.

"I love you" the girl softly whispered.

Haruka squeezed her lightly at that, closing her eyes for a moment. She had been so close of loosing her. Of loosing both of them. And loosing everything that meant anything to her on this world.

And she knew Hotaru had already lost too much too soon...

"I love you too, kiddo" she said, kissing the girl's forehead. And when she looked down on her, noticing her big violet eyes watering, she couldn't help the gasp from escaping her lips. Her heart breaking at the sight.

She then felt another set of arms encircling her waist, and she chuckled, as she saw her daughter's curling up to her.

"I love you too, mommy" Hikari announced, in a sleepy voice, nuzzling her nose against Haruka's stomach. The girl then looked up at her, smiling "All the way up to the sky"

"And all the way back!" Hotaru added, smiling now too.

"Over and over again!" they both finished at the same time.

...

Minako walked out of the bathroom, already wearing her night clothes, and more than willing to fall half dead on the bed and let dreamland take her. She couldn't remember a time when she had felt this tired...

But upon noticing her friend sitting on the bed, already wearing her nightgown, and staring into nothing at all, she stopped dead on her tracks, frowning.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

Michiru looked up at her, and blinked. She then frowned, and opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it without saying anything, and blinked again.

"How eloquent" Minako joked, sitting on the bed next to her friend "Ok, I'll try to be a little more specific. What are you doing here?"

Again, Michiru blinked at her, frowning "What do you mean?" she asked, after a moment.

The blonde woman rolled her eyes at her letting out a sigh "_Here_! Instead of being _there_" she said, pointing with her hand at the general direction of the car racer's bedroom.

Michiru blushed at the gesture, but Minako shook her head at her "She needs you right now, you know?"

"She's with the girls now" she said, shaking her head "After everything that happened, she needs a moment with them"

Minako nodded her head in agreement "Of course she does, but that doesn't mean she doesn't want you there"

Michiru looked at her blonde friend for a moment, and then she smiled, blushing lightly "She told me she loves me" she said, and then she frowned "And then she jumped out the window" she added.

Baby blue eyes went wide open at that, and a big smile came to Minako's face. The blonde was obviously beaming at the news "That's so great!" she exclaimed, already knowing her friend's feelings for the tall car racer. Michiru was pretty easy to read sometimes... at least for her.

Michiru frowned at her friend "She jumped out the window!" she repeated.

"I didn't mean _that_ part!" Minako said, rolling her eyes "Though it is pretty romantic..." she added, a dreamy expression on her face "I mean, think about it, on that one moment, she thought she was going to loose everything, and I mean _everything_, and I bet she wasn't even sure she was going to make it alive..."

"Minako!" Michiru exclaimed, interrupting her.

"Well, it's true! The guy had a gun, Michiru. A _gun_!" she exclaimed "Those things can get you kill, you know..."

"I know!" the aquamarine haired woman exclaimed again, now getting up and walking around in small circles "I know that! God! I could've lost her!" she exclaimed, hands up in the air "And I just found her!"

Minako smiled at that last statement.

She stood up from the bed too, and put her hands on the aquamarine haired woman's shoulders, looking straight at her "Which bring us back to my first question. What are you doing here?" she asked again, smiling softly, and somewhat sadly at her friend "I know you two have probably a lot to talk about, things to work out and all, but right now? Right now she just needs you there"

Michiru blinked at her friend's words. She simply stood there, looking at her, before a soft smile came to her lips "I need her too"

"Then what the hell are you still doing here?" Minako asked, now somewhat exasperated "Go to your woman!"

...

Haruka walked out of the room, closing the door behind her, and closed her eyes for a moment, fighting back the tears in her eyes.

She stood there for a moment, taking deep breath and trying to calm herself down.

It was over now. There was no need to cry. Everything was fine. Everyone was safely home with nothing but a few scratches. But no matter how many times she told herself that, she couldn't shake that horrible, deep fear out of her system.

And she knew she wasn't going to be able to sleep that night.

Her nightmares were bad enough already. And she simply knew tonight was going to be much, much worse than ever before...

_Damn it! You're a grown woman!_, she scolded herself, _you're strong! Get over it! Nothing happened!_

But her mind wasn't really getting that point straight yet, and the memories and possible, terrifying endings to that day's events kept on coming to her mind. It was pure torture!

She growled, opening her eyes and making her way to her own bedroom. Maybe a nice, warm shower would numb her body enough for her to relax. At least a little bit...

But upon entering her room, a light coming from her bathroom, along with the sound of the water already running got her attention. She tensed up at first, but then a soft sigh reached her ears, and she frowned, recognizing that soft sound.

So she closed her bedroom door, and walked into the bathroom. Steam was already starting to cover the mirror, and the bathtub was filled with warm, nice smelling water.

And kneeling right next to it, testing the water with one hand, while vaguely making her long, curly hair aside with the other, was the most beautiful woman Haruka had ever seen.

She looked up at the tall blonde, smiling sweetly. And before Haruka could say anything, she stood up, and went to her, kissing her softly on the lips, before helping her out of the stained sweatshirt. Being extremely careful with her injured arm. And when she was about to help her with her pants, Haruka put her hands in hers, stopping her, and making her look up at her.

"What are you...?" she couldn't finished her question. Michiru put a finger upon her lips, big blue eyes looking into her green ones.

"It's been a really long day, and a nice bath will help you" she simply said, reassuming her task on the blonde's jean pants, and taking them off.

Once that was done, she reached her hands behind the blonde's back, working with her bra and taking it off as well. Her eyes never leaving green one.

Haruka simply nodded her head, looking down on her and allowing the younger woman to take her underwear off too, to then guide her into the bathtub. Her tensed up muscles immediately relaxing to the warm nice water, and she closed her eyes briefly, enjoying the feeling.

She felt soft lips gently pressing against her forehead, and a hand caressing her short blonde hair, and she let out a sigh, allowing herself to relax. To stop thinking and simply enjoy the small pleasure of the warm water. Knowing Michiru was there with her.

She didn't know what tomorrow would bring. She didn't know how long it was going to last. Or if it was going to last at all. But right now, on that moment, all that matter to her was the knowledge that the aquamarine haired woman was there with her.


	29. Chapter 28

**28**

She took a deep breath, enjoying the warm water and the peaceful quietness of the night. But when she felt Michiru's hands on her back, gently pushing her forward and making room for her on the bathtub, she opened her eyes and turned around, looking at the now naked woman behind her.

But Michiru simply smiled at her, gently guiding her blonde head to her chest, softly caressing short blonde locks.

"Just let me take care of you, Ruka" she said, taking the sponge with one hand, as she started to softly brushed it against the blonde's shoulders.

"You don't have to" Haruka said, her voice a soft, husky whisper.

"But I want to" Michiru said, not stopping on her task of softly washing the tall, slender body in her arms with the sponge "You're always the strong one, taking care of everyone and standing on your own" she said "You're being strong for Hikari, and for Hotaru and Makoto, and you take care of them. And you are strong, and they love you so much"

Haruka closed her eyes at Michiru's soft words, fighting against her tears again. All that tension, all that fear pressing on her chest, chocking her.

"I almost lost her..." she said, in a soft, broken tone of voice "I thought... I..." she chocked on her own words, and cover her face with her hands.

She couldn't believe she was crying. She hated being this weak, this vulnerable. But she couldn't keep her tears from falling.

"Shh, it's ok" Michiru whispered into her ear, caressing her hair with one and, the other going around her waist "Just let it out, it's ok to cry" she said, kissing her head softly, lovingly "You don't need to be strong for me, Ruka. Just let it out"

The blonde turned around, as much as the tub would let her, and curled herself up against Michiru's welcoming embrace, resting her cheek against her soft chest and closing her eyes. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, finding comfort upon hearing Michiru's steady heartbeat.

"I was so scared" she finally said, not moving from her place in Michiru's chest "I've never been so scared in my entire life... I really thought I was going to lose her..." she took a deep breath again, swallowing hard "He was pointing that gun at her, and then at you... and then he just... he wanted to take her away. I couldn't let him do that. I don't know what I'd do without her..." she swallowed again "She's my baby girl, Michi. She's my baby..." she chocked again, and held the soft body beneath hers tighter.

"I know, I know" Michiru whispered, kissing her forehead "She's safe now, it's over. You got her back, and she's safe and unharmed" she said, wiping the blonde's tears with her thumb "And you took care of him pretty nicely" she added, in a joking tone of voice.

Haruka chuckled through her tears at that, and nodded her head "He deserved it"

"I know he did" the aquamarine haired woman agreed "And if you hadn't done it, I would have done it myself" she stated firmly.

And when Haruka looked up at her, she simply smiled at her "I love that girl too. And I love you" she softly whispered, before taking the blonde's lips in hers in a gentle, deep kiss "I love you, and I want to take care of you, Ruka. Just, let me take care of you"

Haruka didn't say anything. She closed her eyes, letting the younger woman wash her body, softly brushing the sponge against her sore, tired muscles, gently massaging her back in small, circular movements.

But when she opened her eyes again, the sad look on Michiru's blue eyes surprised her. She frowned, looking questioningly at her. But Michiru smiled a sad smile at her, continuing her task, gently caressing the tall racer's body, as she gathered the courage to talk. To have that one conversation that could change everything between them.

"My parents died when I was eleven" she started, mindlessly caressing the blonde with the sponge "My uncle took care of me then, but he's always traveling around the world because of his business. So I was pretty much on my own all the time"

The blonde didn't say anything, although she knew full well what it felt like to be alone. But she also knew Michiru needed to tell her this; she knew the aquamarine haired goddess needed to say it at loud, and somehow getting it off her chest.

So, she kept quiet, hugging her and letting her play mindlessly with her short blonde hair.

"But I was ok with it" Michiru continued "I guess I got used to it, to be alone and on my own. Just me and my music. And when I was sixteen some producer noticed me, and decided I was good enough to sign a record deal, and travel around the world. It was great, getting to know all those places, all those cities, staying in five stared hotels and having exclusive designers wanting me to wear their clothes" she giggled at that, and the blonde chuckled "It's every girl's dream, right? To travel around the world on pretty dresses, being treated like a real life princess"

Haruka frowned at that "Not mine" she murmured, and then smiled when she felt Michiru giggled again.

"Yeah, well, you're the exception to every rule" she joked, giggling. Her hands now holding the blonde close to her "And then I met Minako" she continued her tale, smiling at the memory of the bouncing, happy blonde girl she met one night in Paris.

She was there for a concert, and the blonde was there for the fashion week. Her manager had said to Michiru something about being good for her to show herself on such a popular event like the fashion week in Paris, so she had agreed to go to the shows. And there she had met the blonde. A raising young model.

They had clicked right away. Even though Michiru was never the people kind of person, there was just something about that blonde girl that made it impossible not to be friends with her. Their different careers took them to different paths for a year, but they had kept in touch trough the phone and e-mails.

And when Minako had said to her she was tired of the glorious life, longing for some normalcy and wanting to go to college, Michiru had thought the idea sounded good enough for her.

Michiru had rented a small, nice apartment then, and the blonde moved in into an old friend's apartment. And that's how she had met Masaya.

"I was nineteen then" she said "It took him a whole year to ask me out, and then we started dating. And well, you know the rest..." she mumbled, and the blonde simply nodded her head, allowing the younger woman to continue with her story "I can't really blame him. I mean, I was always either practicing with some orchestra or the other, recording and album or giving a concert. I never really tried hard enough for things to work out. I drowned myself in my career, and everything else came in second place" she admitted "Or third..." she added, in a murmured.

She had never really admitted this to anyone. Not even Minako, when the blonde would scolded her endlessly for being so wrapped up in her music world that she was missing out on life completely.

But for Michiru, back then, her music had been everything and anything she had. Her music was her world, her life, and she never allowed anyone in.

"My violin had been my only companion for years" she said, in a quite whisper "And I was fine with it. It was all I needed, and I didn't really ask for more. I have no family, no real place to call home, and the only real friend I have is Minako"

Haruka frowned at that, taking Michiru's hands in hers and kissing them softly. She had have a hard life. There was no way she could deny that. But she still had her family, and her friends. Sure, she loved her career; racing cars was her passion. But her family came first. Always. And no matter where her career took her, she always knew she had a home to go back to, where her family waited for her. Where her friends down town where more than willing to invite her and her family for dinner and listen to all her stories from the different cities she had been to.

She felt Michiru moving under her, and she looked up at her. The aquamarine haired woman kissed her cheek, before standing up and reaching a towel. Haruka stood up as well, and smiled warmly at the younger woman when she felt the towel being gently wrapped around her body.

She allowed Michiru to dry her, softly caressing her with the towel, drying her short blonde hair lovingly. Kissing her cheeks, her jaw line, her neck, her shoulders.

She encircled her arms around the slender, wet waist, getting the aquamarine haired woman closer to her. Enjoying the feeling of her warm body softly pressed against hers.

"It used to be enough for me" Michiru said, softly, looking at her green eyes "But it's not anymore. I don't want to settle with just my music and an empty apartment" she added in a soft murmur, taking the blonde's hands and guiding her out of the bathroom.

She guided the taller woman to the bed, moving the sheets for her to get in it. She then gently pushed her into the bed, taking a place for herself right next to the blonde, hugging her close and resting the blonde head on her chest again. She then covered their naked bodies with the dark sheets, her hands never stopping the soft, gentle caresses on the soft, naked skin she had grown to love so much.

"You're so lucky, Ruka" she whispered near the blonde's ear "You have such a loving family. And you take so good care of them"

A sad gasp escaped the blonde at that, and Michiru held her tighter, softly making her lay on her back and kissing her neck.

She felt her shiver lightly as their hips came together, and she looked into her green eyes. Crystal tears were slowly running down their eyes; the words that had been said between them, their secrets out, the tension of the day. It all came as too much on both of them, and Michiru went down to kiss the blonde's wet cheeks. Their tears mixing, their breaths caressing each others faces.

"You don't have to be strong anymore, Ruka" she whispered against her face "Not here, not for me. Just let me be with you. I just want to be with you, and take care of you" she said, in a somewhat pleading tone of voice.

She felt the blonde's lips in hers, and she returned the kiss eagerly. Tongues dancing together, hands gently traveling up and down their naked bodies. Their hips softly rocking together. Tears still falling down from their closed eyes, as they both started showering each other with soft, intimate caresses.

Haruka moaned softly, almost brokenly, when she felt Michiru's legs pressing between hers. She opened her eyes then, braking the kiss and looking up at her.

"I love you, Michi" she whispered to her "I love you. I love you"

"I love you too, Ruka" she whispered back, showering the blonde's face with butterfly kisses.

Hands going down between their pressed bodies, fingers entering soft, wet folds. Both of them needing to feel each other, needing the comfort of the other's body, needing to feel their warm skins pressed together as they moved against each other. Softly, slowly. Tears falling down over warm skin, sparkling in the dark like small pearls. Pearls that in their eyes, only made them more beautiful.

"I love you" those three words could be heard, softly, breathlessly whispered in between the soft, deep moans that filled the night.


	30. Chapter 29

**29**

When she woke up the next morning, the first thing she registered was the burning pain on her arm. Memories from the day before came rushing to her mind, but she shook them off when she felt a pair of lips gently kissing her jaw line.

"Morning" came Michiru's sleepy voice, as she lazily nuzzled against Haruka's neck, her naked body pressed along the blonde's.

"Morning" she replied, softly caressing the younger woman's bare back with one hand.

The aquamarine haired goddess rolled on her back and stretched herself, offering to the blonde the spectacular view of her round, naked breasts.

"How's your arm?" she asked, now relaxing over the soft pillows.

"It's ok" she simply answered, before crawling to her lover, getting on top of her, and kissing her lips.

But the sound of a childish giggles coming from somewhere down the hallway got their attention, and they broke the kiss, looking at each others eyes.

"I think it's time to get dress" Haruka said, smiling down at her.

Michiru nodded her head, and let the blonde out of her arms, watching her get up from the bed and going to her wardrobe, in search of some clothes. And she let her eyes wonder through the long, thin, naked body for a little longer, but then decided to get dress herself.

Haruka put some clean underwear on, and then she put on her favorites old, worn out, light blue jeans. She found a cobalt blue t-shirt with the words 'ocean's lover' on white bold letters, and smiled to herself, remembering Michiru's song.

She turned around, t-shirt in hand, and looked at the aquamarine haired woman.

She was wearing Haruka's sleeping t-shirt, which was wide for the blonde herself, and around two or three sizes too big for the smaller woman. And she was sitting on the bed, combing her curls with her hands.

"Hey, Michi?" she called, walking up to her, putting her t-shirt on the way "Remember that deal we made? Me offering you a bed and food in exchange of you teaching Hotaru how to play the violin?" she asked, sitting on the bed right next to the younger woman. "I take it back" she said, looking at her big blue eyes "It just won't do anymore. So instead, I offer you a place here, with me, and I give you my heart. All you have to do is take it" she softly said, caressing her cheeks with her hands "It's already yours"

"Oh, Ruka" Michiru whispered, eyes full of love. Her own hands now messing with short blonde hair.

"I know it's probably not fair, considering I have the winning hand here" she said, smiling "With you in my bed, taking my nightmares away... I'm not asking you to give up your career, I just... I don't want you to go. Because, you see, I want you to take care of me, and I want to take care of you" she confessed, her smile shy and her eyes never leaving blue ones "I know I said I'm a whole package, and I am. And I can't say it's perfect, but..."

Michiru just kissed her, softly and tenderly. And then she looked at her green eyes "I take it" she whispered "I take it all. I love you, Ruka"

Haruka smiled lovingly at her "I love you too, Michi" she whispered back, before closing the gap between their faces, meeting her love's lips on a tender, gentle kiss.

A soft, surprised gasp made them break the kiss, and they both turned towards the now open bedroom door in time to see a small blonde girl practically flying to the bed and jumping up, right next to Michiru, kneeling on the bed, her little hands resting on the sheets. Any trace of yesterday's tension completely gone from her small features; instead, there was a big, happy smile on her pretty little face.

"Does this mean you're gonna be my mommy too?" she asked. But then she looked at her mother, without really giving any time to any of them to answer her "Mom, can we keep her now? Please?"

"Would you like that, princess?" Haruka asked.

"Yes!" the girl answered "I really, really like her!" she declared, her big smile never fading.

Haruka chuckled "Do you, now?" she asked, now amused over her daughter's excitement.

"Yeah!" the girl exclaimed again, now standing up on the bed, and jumping "'Cause she's nice, and she lets me play with her hair. And she brushes mine, and she never pulls the knots. And she lets me play with her paintings"

"Paintings?" Haruka asked Michiru, as the little girl kept on talking and jumping.

"Make up" Michiru answered, smiling.

"Oh, right" the tall blonde said, frowning and nodding her head "Don't really have those"

"And she likes my music, and I like it when she plays for us. And she's really, really cool!" Hikari finally exclaimed, getting back down on her knees and looking at the aquamarine haired woman "So? Can I keep you?" the girl asked again "Please? My mommy likes you too!" she said, tilting her head to the side, her soft, messed from sleep blonde hair cascading to her shoulder, and looking incredibly cute with her pleading expression.

"Yes, I do" Haruka said, nodding her head at the little girl's last statement.

Hikari looked at her, her smile even bigger now "See?" she asked, big green eyes looking back at Michiru "So? You wanna be my mommy too?"

Michiru smiled warmly at the excited little girl "I'd love to, Kari" she said.

"Yay!" the girl yelled, jumping to Michiru and wrapping herself around the aquamarine haired woman. Both of them falling back on the mattress over the sudden impact.

Michiru giggled happily, and hugged the little girl. Haruka chuckled, but soon made her daughter get off the younger woman "Now, now, don't strangle her" she said to her.

"Sorry!" Hikari said, her little hands going to her mouth in an embarrassed manner, sitting on her mother's lap.

But then she got on her feet, and started jumping on the bed again "This is so cool! Wait till Hotaru hears!" she exclaimed.

And then she stopped jumping, and got out of the bed, running to the bedroom door and disappearing into the hallway "Hotaru! Guess what!" they heard her yelling.

"I think I'm gonna have to keep her off the sweets for a while again" Haruka murmured, and then she smiled at Michiru when she heard her giggling "She gets extremely hyperactive when she's happy"

"You mean more than usual?" Michiru asked, her arms encircling around the blonde's waist.

"Oh yeah" she answered, before kissing her again "But I'm glad she's happy"

"Me too" Michiru agreed, smiling softly at her love.

"You know what this means, right?" the blonde asked. And when Michiru just looked at her, she smiled mischievously "Means I get to keep you" she said happily, throwing her to the mattress again and kissing her neck.

Michiru laughed happily, letting the blonde kiss her neck, and hugging her close.

The sound of a happy scream and two little bodies crushing against them made them break apart.

"Is it true?" Hotaru asked, looking as happy as Hikari "You're staying with us?" she asked, looking down at Michiru, her small body practically all over the aquamarine haired woman as the girl hugged her close.

"Yes, I am" Michiru answered her, her own arms going around Hotaru's body.

"This is _so_ great!" the black haired little girl exclaimed, throwing herself back at Michiru.

"She's happy too" Hikari informed her mother, sitting on her lap and looking up at her.

"I know, princess" Haruka said "I'm happy too"

"You're happy, she's happy, we're all happy" came Makoto's voice from the door.

She was leading on the door's frame, arms crossed over her chest. There was a small bandage on her forehead, but a warm smile on her lips "Now, are you guys coming down for breakfast, or what?"

And that was all the girls needed to get off the bed and run, making their way fast down the hallway and to the stairs.

Makoto smiled after them, but then she looked at her blonde friend "You know what that means, right?" she asked, pointing at the hallway were the girls had disappeared into "No sugar for that little devil of yours" she said, before going after the girls.

They both laughed at the comment, and Michiru got up the bed to follow them, but a hand stopped her, making her fall right back to the bed. And before she could say anything at all, a soft pair of lips took hers in a deep kiss, tongues gently dancing together.

"I love you, Michi" Haruka softly said, breaking the kiss and rubbing her nose against hers.

"I love you too, Ruka"


	31. Epilogue

Ok, everyone! This story is finally over! Yay me!

Thank you all for reading me! I know this is very different from what I've been doing so far, but I had this one story in my head, and I just couldn't get it out.

And I'm sorry it took me longer than usual to finish it. College is been driving me mad, and I barely have time to myself anymore... But, hey! I just discovered God is a woman, and she luvs me! (meaning, I passed my last test with flying colors!). Anyway, you get my point, right? And to celebrate, here's the epilogue!

Again, thanks for reading, and for your wonderful reviews!!

After all I put them all trough, I thought a nice, cute family moment was a nice, rewarding way to close this story. I really hope you like the ending!

Enjoy!

* * *

**Epilogue**

By the time she finally reached the house, dawn was starting to break in the sky.

She had been driving for the past three hours, on a drive that should take any normal person at least two more hours than that. But, she was no normal person, so of course she was able to make that distance in a shorter period of time.

She knew she was going to get scold for driving all night, instead of staying at her hotel until morning and then make her way home in daylight, like she was supposed to do. But she had been away for four days already, and even though she had been staying at a five stared hotel, with a really big, comfy bed, it still wasn't hers.

It lacked the warmth of her own, not to mention the nightmares always came back.

She was able to sleep, but she was never able to rest, to really rest, whenever she was on the road. The nightmares wouldn't let her. They weren't as bad as they used to be, and she was really glad she was finally able to move on and actually sleep through the entire night.

But they always came back to her whenever she was away from home. So, getting home as soon as possible was only logical.

Besides, she knew they had some guests staying at the hotel, and she didn't really like being away on times like this. It was completely off season, and her guests weren't normal tourist, but a movie crew shooting some scenes on the woods up in the mountains.

So right after a nice dinner with her brother and his new, happy, beaming blonde roommate slash girlfriend -she had laughed hard at that one, thinking it was about damn time those two moved in together, after fooling around and going out together for over six months-, she had humped into her car, and made her way home.

She parked her car and got off, and the moment she took her suitcase, the front door got open, and a black haired woman stepped out, smiling at her.

"You're early" she simply said, holding the door for her to enter the house.

"Yeah, well, I miss my girls" she simply answered, smiling back at the black haired woman.

She looked down on her, as she kept on softly caressing her small, cute, five months pregnant belly, and the tall blonde woman winced at that "Sorry for making you stay here, Rei" she apologized.

"Oh, please, it's nothing!" Rei exclaimed, waving her hand at her "A time away from Jadeite is always welcome!" she added, jokingly, as they both made it to the front desk, where Rei soon took her place behind it "You have Hikari, you know what I mean, right?"

Haruka chuckled at that "About being pregnant, or about needing a time off your husband?" she asked, amused.

She had met Rei upon first moving in with Banken. He and the woman's grandfather were close friends, and Rei had been extremely helpful and friendly with the tall, pregnant teenage girl, when Banken had practically forced the car racer to finished high school.

So on those long five months she had spent in bed during her pregnancy, Rei had willingly helped the tall blonde girl so she could take the tests later on and get her diploma. Which she did, about three months after Hikari was born.

They became good friends, and Rei always said she was Hikari's godmother, even though non of them were catholics. And of course, Haruka had been Rei's maid of honor. And now the black haired woman was happily pregnant, and she had been helping them with the hotel every now and then. Specially when she was out of town.

Haruka felt somewhat guilty about that. The woman offered her help without getting paid -although the blonde had tried to-, and to top it off, she was pregnant! But Rei would only say she was more than happy to help, to be around the crazy little girls that danced around the house once they were out of school, and -her favorite excuse as of late- she also got a time off her extremely preoccupied, ridiculously overprotective husband.

"Well, you know him. He's been treating me as if I'm made out of glass!" she complained, sitting on the chair behind the desk, and going back to her net surfing she had been doing previously.

"He's excited about becoming a daddy, don't be so hard on him" Haruka said "So what about our guests?" she asked

"Oh, they're fine. Some of them are happily getting fat thanks to Makoto" she joked "They're out right now, shooting some night scenes or something... And everything's fine, and everyone's alright" she said, before the blonde could ask anything, already knowing the questioning routine "The girls went to bed right after catching your interview on TV"

"Hey! You're back!" came Makoto's voice from down the hallway, and Haruka looked up at her, surprised upon finding the brunette up so early "I wasn't expecting you until midday" she said, holding the blonde.

"You have flour in your cheek" Haruka said, amused "And in your hair, too. What are you doing?"

Makoto laughed lightly, waving her hand "Oh, I had the weirdest dream about swimming in a pool of chocolate and strawberries, and when I woke up I just had to make a chocolate and strawberry cake!" she explained, as if it was the most obvious, rational explanation.

Haruka look at the clock on the wall, raising her eyebrow at the brunette girl "At six in the morning?"

"I couldn't go back to sleep, and I absolutely had to try this one recipe" the girl answered, trying to get the flour out of her cheeks.

"Sure, whatever" Haruka said, rolling her eyes "You really are a food freak" she murmured, taking her suitcase, and making her way to the staircase "Oh, by the way, Nephrite says hi" she added, winking at the tall brunette girl and laughing at her redden cheeks.

"Hey, stop being so mean, and go to bed already!" Rei scolded her "You've been driving all night, and it's still way too early!"

Haruka laughed at the other woman's scolding, but decided it was no good arguing with her. Rei did have a reputation because of her bad temper. Which only got worse with her pregnancy... But Haruka knew she was right. She had been diving all night, and she was tired.

So with no more than that, she went up the stairs, walking down the hallway and putting her suitcase down on her bedroom door, and she hesitated for a moment.

She wasn't laying to Rei when she said she missed her girls. She did. Terribly. Being away from them was always the hardest part about being a car racer. And she wanted to check on them before going to bed herself.

She decided to put her luggage away first, so she opened her bedroom door, only to be welcomed by the most loving, heart touching sight ever, and a soft smile played on her lips at the cute scene in front of her.

Well, at least now she didn't need to go to the girls' room to check on them...

Hotaru was laying on her stomach, face buried under the pillow, a leg hanging off the bed. Her sleeping shirt had rolled all the way up, exposing her back.

Normally, the black haired girl would be tangled in her own sheets. But right now, the sheets were being claimed, almost completely, by a small human ball laying right next to Hotaru.

With almost her entire little body resting on the pillow -Haruka's pillow-, laying on her side, hands in fits resting under her chin, Hikari was sleeping wrapped around by the sheets, face nuzzled against Hotaru's shoulder. There was a soft smile on her lips, as a slender, delicate, feminine arm was resting upon her waist, in a protective, loving embrace.

With Hikari nestled against her chest, her arm around the blonde little girl, and resting on her side, with her own head occupying the part of the pillow Hikari was not claiming, Michiru slept peacefully.

The sheets covering her lower body, and one perfect long leg peeking out from under the dark fabric. A long, soft leg, from an equally soft, warm body that the blonde racer had missed so much.

A body that was currently wrapped around one of the blonde's t-shirts.

Haruka softly chuckled at that. Michiru always slept on the blonde's t-shirts whenever they were apart because of Haruka's races or because of Michiru's concerts.

Considering the three of them were curled against each other, on Haruka's side of the bed, it looked pretty crowdy in there. But Haruka wouldn't have it any other way.

She walked up to her side of the bed, gently guiding Hotaru's leg back into the sheets, and rearranging them so she was tucked in as well. She then bent down, slowly lifting the pillow from the girl's face and softly kissing her forehead, brushing away her black, velvet like bangs.

Hotaru stirred in her sleep, not waking up, and then just turned around, now laying on her side, facing the blonde little girl right next to her, and making Hikari turned around as well.

And the tall car racer smiled again at that, seeing her daughter's sleeping face, as she turned around to lay on her back and vaguely rubbing her closed eye with one tired hand, before turning around again, now cuddling against Michiru's chest.

And the small movement was enough for the aquamarine haired goddess to wake up. Blue eyes looked down at the little girl, smiling sweetly and sleepy, before she realized there was someone else on the bedroom, looking down on her.

So she looked up at her then, blinking away the sleep in her eyes, before a soft, gentle smile came to her lips.

"Hey" she called out to the tall blonde, slowly trying to sit up in the bed without waking up the girls right next to her.

Haruka smiled at her, bending down and kissing her lightly on the lips.

"Hey" she greeted back, before getting back up and started to undress herself to get in the bed as well "I like the welcoming party here" she said, her voice a husky whisper.

Michiru smiled at the comment, looking down at the sleeping girls beside her, before looking back up at the tall woman, as she took off her pants and then sat down on the bed to take off her socks.

She crawled to her, hugging the other woman, her body softly pressed against Haruka's back, kissing her neck "Please don't tell me you've been driving all night" she said, while still pressing her lips softly against the blonde's neck.

The blonde smiled, turning around to capture Michiru's lips in a deep kiss "I got home sick" she said, breaking the kiss and looking at her deep blue eyes.

"Ruka" Michiru said, in a scolding tone of voice, and frowning "You should have waited 'till morning to make the trip back, and take a good night sleep. You know that"

Haruka tilted her head at the words, smiling warmly and lovingly at the younger woman. Michiru was always taking care of the car racer, making sure she rested well before and after her races, and scolding her whenever the blonde skip launch or dinner just so she could be home earlier than expected.

Not that Michiru didn't want her tall blonde home. But she wanted her home safely, and healthy too!

"You know I can't sleep without you there" she simply answered, her hands going around Michiru's thin waist "You spoiled me"

"Oh, I see, so it's _my_ fault now" Michiru said, rolling her eyes.

But then she smiled at the blonde woman, laying back on the bed, and guiding the blonde down with her "Welcome home" she softly whispered "I missed you"

Haruka smiled at that, kissing the woman's long neck, and hugging her from her back, spooning her. She rested on her side, a hand supporting her head as she looked down at the woman beside her, and at the sleeping girls.

"I missed you too, Michi" she whispered back, before capturing her lips and kissing her deeply "I love you"

"I love you too, Ruka" she answered, whispering, before letting her head fall back into the soft pillow. Her arms going around the little blonde again, holding her close, as she felt the tall blonde woman hugging her.

Haruka looked down on the sleeping girls one more time, and then at the aquamarine haired woman she was holding in her arms, and smiled, kissing her long soft neck gently, and letting herself fall into the pillows.

The smile never fading from her lips.

She had finally moved on. She had walked away from the living nightmare she had been trapped on when she was younger. There was no way for her to know what tomorrow would bring. But one thing she knew for sure. Right now, on that one moment, she had it all. She had her career, she had her friends, and she had her family. And there was nothing she wouldn't do to be able to enjoy moments like this. With Michiru's warm body pressed against hers, breathing in the sweet smell of her skin and her curly hair brushing against her face, and hearing the soft breathing sound coming from the deeply asleep girls, she could finally let dreamland take her over.

Everything that mattered, everything that meant anything to her, was right there with her. Yes, she had it all.

She was finally home.


End file.
